Customer Reviews

In Concert: Ohne Filter

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Not a bad dvd, considering, It would be nice to see the artists with their orininal bands.What I'd like to know is where is all the archives of these great artists in there prime. But still a great look at a great artist.check it out.The Vibe is still here.ciao

The first and last tracks (sweet tears, a wee bit) are magnificent performances, and 'searching' isn't a bad effort either. But sadly the two keys players are realy cut down in most of the tracks by the poor quality of early 90s synths. Ayers' own performance is also diminished by the electronic KAT he plays on, it simply doesn't compare sound-wise to a real vibraphone.

Perhaps Ayers' most well known song, 'everybody loves the sunshine' is quite bizzare in this concert. Very slow and ponderous, it fails to capture the good vibes of the studio, or indeed earlier concert recordings.

Despite some of the atrocious sounding instruments, the showmanship and musicianship of the band is phenominal. Very tight drumset and bass playing, incredible saxophone solos and as always with Ubiquity, superb vocals raise the concert to three stars, and it would certainly be higher if the group went back to their earlier, more organic sound.

If you are new to Ayers' music or have yet to purchase his live material, have a look at his 'live at Ronnie Scotts' album (released earlier under the name 'Fast Money'). It is a far more oranic and funky set, and most importantly, Zachary Breaux is present, providing blistering guitar solos and brilliant rythm as well. Breaux's absence is sorely missed in Ayer's later live releases.

If you're a Roy Ayers fan or collector, you may as well buy a copy of this dvd. However if not, try some of his earlier live material ('Searching - live at Ronnie Scotts' is also a real gem).