Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Last week my Japanese vacation was interrupted by dozens of social media posts and DMs alerting me that Vice President Kamala Harris had purchased a copy of the Roy Ayers Ubiquity album Everybody Loves the Sunshine. In a video, the Veep exits the Washington, DC record store, Home Rule Records and enthusiastically discusses her vinyl purchases with a reporter. The video comes to a crescendo when she boasts:
“One of my favorite albums of all time, Roy Ayers, Everybody Loves the Sunshine. You know this one?” Kamala looks at the reporters to see if anyone is hip enough to join in her discussion. “It’s so good. It’s a classic.” Watch the video here.
Two years ago, it’s unlikely that anyone would have sent me this video. Either they would have been unaware that Roy Ayers is my father, or more likely, they would have known that news about him didn’t always thrill me. The book writing process changed all that, and now pretty much anything to do with “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” makes me happy. It felt great to watch my inbox explode.
Last week I had an amazing book event in Tokyo, where my hosts asked deep questions about my relationship with my father, my years at 4AD, and why I like the band Kiss. I listened patiently as a translator helped us communicate, and the organizers were kind enough to print out a Japanese translation of the book intro, Straight Outta Compton, so that people could read along.
After the event I had a drink with Philip Woo, the Tokyo-based keyboardist who played on “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.” Philip told me decades-old stories about how he joined Roy’s band as a teenager, what it was like to record at Electric Lady Studios for the first time, and why he had to quit his Seattle band, which featured a young Kenny G on saxophone.
It’s a great week for music if you’re in Brooklyn. This Sunday May 7 at 2:30pm, the vibraphonist Patricia Brennan performs a free concert with her percussion ensemble at BAM. I released Patricia’s solo album Maquishti in 2021, and I’m excited to see her in an ensemble setting.
This Thursday May 11 my uncle, the jazz saxophonist Alan Braufman performs at Soup & Sound—a brownstone in Crown Heights where the drummer Andrew Drury puts on shows. It’s a great space that reminds me of Alan’s time in the ‘70s at 501 Canal St. This will be Alan’s first full band performance in the US since 2019. He’s on around 7pm.
May is calm, then my book tour keeps going in June, beginning with an event in my third NYC borough, Queens. Stay tuned to see if I complete all five. Event details and updates can always be found HERE.
Thu Jun 1: Queens, NY @ Honey Moon Coffee Shop / in conversation with Jenn Pelly. 7pm
Weds Jun 7: Minneapolis, MN @ Electric Fetus / in conversation with David Safar. 6pm
Fri Aug 25: Port Townsend, WA @ Thing (music festival) / in conversation with John Roderick. time tba
My memoir My Life in the Sunshine is out now. I’d love it if you picked up a copy at your local independent bookstore. It’s also available at all the big places, and for your Kindle as well. There’s an audiobook that I spent 20 hours of my life reading (it’ll only take 7 hours to listen). You can listen to the 5-minute intro for free on Spotify.
I hope to see you somewhere soon.
Nabil Ayers / Brooklyn