XJAZZ! FESTIVAL 2023

ON HIS FAREWELL TOUR, THE PRODUCER AND COMPOSER ROY AYERS WILL BE OPENING THIS YEAR'S XJAZZ! FESTIVAL 2023 AS ONE OF THE LAST GREAT JAZZ PROPHETS. 

The Godfather of Neo-Soul.  A prolific composer and vibraphonist, Roy Ayers career spans six decades.   Ayers' has released over 30 albums and his work has been sampled over 500 times whilst his Roy Ayers Ubiquity project has been sampled over 400 times.  Perhaps Roy’s karmic destiny as a vibraphonist was by his parents’ decision to allow him to attend a concert featuring the great Lionel Hampton’s Big Band. During “Hamps” customary stroll down the aisle to thank his audience for attending, he noticed an ecstatic five-year-old boy. So impressed was "Hamps" by the child’s ebullience he walked over and presented young Roy Ayers Jr. with the gift of a lifetime; a pair of vibe mallets.