Released on Polydor
in 1972, He’s Coming captures vibraphonist Roy Ayers at a
creative apex, as Ubiquity’s sound settled into the blend of jazz
improvisation, funk rhythm, soul harmony, and spiritual import that would
define his work throughout the decade. Emerging at the start of the 1970s, the
album reflects Ayers’s deepening move toward a groove-centred musical language
rooted in soul-jazz and early jazz-funk. The vibraphonist, keyboardist,
composer, and bandleader is supported by a core ensemble that includes Harry
Whitaker on electric piano, organ, and vocals; John Williams on
bass, with Ron Carter featured on ‘We Live in Brooklyn, Baby’; David
Lee Jr. and Billy Cobham on drums and percussion; guitarists Sam
Brown and Bob Fusco; saxophonist Sonny Fortune; and
percussionist Juma Santos. Tracks like ‘He’s a Superstar’, ‘Sweet
Butterfly of Love’, and ‘Fire Weaver’ embody the record’s mix of urban
narrative, spiritual reflection, and deep rhythmic momentum — qualities that
would later make Ayers’s catalogue a source of inspiration for soul, funk,
hip-hop, and neo-soul artists.
