Despite contributions from an abundance of soul-jazz greats including
Dee Dee Bridgewater,
Jimmy Owens, and
Garnett Brown,
Virgo Red is the most stripped-down and nuanced of
Roy Ayers' Ubiquity LPs. Its sinuous funk grooves are first and foremost a showcase for the intuitive interplay of
Ayers and electric keyboardist
Harry Whitaker, whose Fender Rhodes' fills orbit
Ayers' vibes' solos like a planet circling the sun. The material is a crazy quilt of righteously soulful originals and deeply funky covers spanning
Leroy Hutson's soul classic "Giving Love" to Stories' soft pop smash "Brother Louie" to absolute treacle like The Poseidon Adventure's "The Morning After" -- by all rights it shouldn't work, but as the astrological overtones winding through
Virgo Red attest, sometimes the stars align. ~ Jason Ankeny