Red, Black & Green

Filled with covers of songs by Bill Withers, Aretha Franklin, and The Temptations, Red, Black & Green is Roy Ayers' tribute to the advancements of his R&B peers. His chiming vibraphone offers a lovely translation of Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” backed by the muscular rhythms of bassist Clint Houston and drummer Dennis Davis. Davis himself wrote the bass-heavy instrumental “Rhythms of Your Mind.” Ever the egalitarian bandleader, Ayers was eager to share the stage with the other members of Ubiquity, and the contributions of the backing players give the album its depth. Aside from keyboards from Harry Whitaker and horn work from Garnett Brown, Charles Tolliver, and Jerry Schoenbaum, the album boasts startling string arrangements from William S. Fischer. At the time it wasn't uncommon for conductors to come in at the last minute to add strings to already-completed tracks, but Fischer was fully integrated into the process. His string arrangements provide a counterpoint to the band's elastic movements and invest in the songs' undercurrents of gorgeous foreboding.