He's Coming (Verve Vault)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
He’s Coming (Verve Vault) is an audiophile reissue of Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s 1972 album He’s Coming, issued as part of Verve’s archival Verve Vault series and cut from the original analog tapes. Originally released on Polydor, the record captures vibraphonist, composer, and bandleader Roy Ayers at a creative apex as his Ubiquity ensemble settles into a signature blend of jazz improvisation, funk rhythm, soul harmony, and spiritual themes that would define his work through the 1970s. Emerging at the start of the decade, He’s Coming reflects Ayers’ deepening shift toward groove-centered soul-jazz and early jazz-funk, using the vibraphone, electric keyboards, and vocal arrangements to build long, flowing structures that balance earthy urban narratives with cosmic or devotional overtones.
The album’s tracklist—He’s a Superstar, He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother, Ain’t Got Time, I Don’t Know How to Love Him, He’s Coming, We Live in Brooklyn, Baby, Sweet Butterfly of Love, Sweet Tears, and Fire Weaver—moves between covers of contemporary pop ballads and Ayers originals, all reshaped with thick bass lines, loose yet precise drums, and luminous vibraphone and electric piano textures. Ayers is joined by a deep roster of players: Harry Whitaker on electric piano, organ, and vocals; John Williams and Ron Carter on bass (with 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 and flutist Sonny Fortune; percussionist Juma Santos; and several vocalists including Carol Smiley, Gloria Jones, Victoria Hospedale, and Sandy Hewitt. The Verve Vault edition preserves and highlights this sonic richness by using all-analog mastering by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, pressing the album on 180‑gram vinyl at Optimal, and framing He’s Coming as a key document in Ayers’ evolution—one whose mix of spiritual jazz, funk, and soul would later be heavily sampled and referenced by generations of soul, hip‑hop, and neo‑soul artists.
He's Coming (Verve Vault)
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
He’s Coming (Verve Vault) is an audiophile reissue of Roy Ayers Ubiquity’s 1972 album He’s Coming, issued as part of Verve’s archival Verve Vault series and cut from the original analog tapes. Originally released on Polydor, the record captures vibraphonist, composer, and bandleader Roy Ayers at a creative apex as his Ubiquity ensemble settles into a signature blend of jazz improvisation, funk rhythm, soul harmony, and spiritual themes that would define his work through the 1970s. Emerging at the start of the decade, He’s Coming reflects Ayers’ deepening shift toward groove-centered soul-jazz and early jazz-funk, using the vibraphone, electric keyboards, and vocal arrangements to build long, flowing structures that balance earthy urban narratives with cosmic or devotional overtones.
The album’s tracklist—He’s a Superstar, He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother, Ain’t Got Time, I Don’t Know How to Love Him, He’s Coming, We Live in Brooklyn, Baby, Sweet Butterfly of Love, Sweet Tears, and Fire Weaver—moves between covers of contemporary pop ballads and Ayers originals, all reshaped with thick bass lines, loose yet precise drums, and luminous vibraphone and electric piano textures. Ayers is joined by a deep roster of players: Harry Whitaker on electric piano, organ, and vocals; John Williams and Ron Carter on bass (with 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 and flutist Sonny Fortune; percussionist Juma Santos; and several vocalists including Carol Smiley, Gloria Jones, Victoria Hospedale, and Sandy Hewitt. The Verve Vault edition preserves and highlights this sonic richness by using all-analog mastering by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, pressing the album on 180‑gram vinyl at Optimal, and framing He’s Coming as a key document in Ayers’ evolution—one whose mix of spiritual jazz, funk, and soul would later be heavily sampled and referenced by generations of soul, hip‑hop, and neo‑soul artists.