Entertainment
Roy Ayers, Jazz-Funk Virtuoso, Dead at 84
Roy Ayers, the jazz vibraphonist whose smooth fusion planted the seeds of acid jazz and neo-soul, died Wednesday at the age of 84.
Ayers’s family confirmed his death on the musician’s Facebook page. “It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer, and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4, 2025 in New York City after a long illness.” A specific cause of death was not immediately available.
Originally a practitioner of hard bop, Ayers eased into jazz fusion in the early 1970s, a transition he underscored by forming the group Roy Ayers Ubiquity. Cultivating a smooth signature sound that wove lush soul, elastic jazz, and tight funk, Ayers emphasized rhythm and texture, a combination that gave him a handful of crossover R&B hits; “Running Away” cracked Billboard’s R&B Top 20 in 1977, with “Hot” matching that feat in 1985.
It was a blend that also made his work ripe for sampling. “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” a Ubiquity track from 1976, became a ubiquitous sample in the 1990s after being featured in Mary J. Blige’s “My Life.” Over the years, Ayers’ music was sampled by Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Common, and Tyler the Creator, among scores of other acts.
“Roy Ayers was kind of a godfather of the contemporary vibes. He brought a different element to his sound, compared to everybody else,” vibraphonist Warren Wold told the New York Times last year. “Roy’s music is something you can jam to and have a good time, or you can just sit back and hang out with it in the background. The vibe is always strong.”
A native of Los Angeles, Ayers was born September 10, 1940. Raised in a musical household, he found himself drawn to the vibraphone after witnessing Lionel Hampton’s Big Band when he was five years old. Soon, he learned piano and sang in a church choir but didn’t acquire his first vibraphone until he was 17. As he studied music theory at Los Angeles City College, he played jazz in nightclubs.
The first time Ayers appeared on record was on a session by saxophonist Curtis Amy. By 1963, he had his own recording contract, releasing his debut album West Coast Vibes in 1963. Ayers began to gain widespread recognition for his collaboration with flutist Herbie Mann. The vibraphonist joined Mann’s band in 1966, a favor the flutist returned by producing three albums for Ayers in the late sixties, sessions that helped push the vibraphonist toward funkafied fusion.
Signing with Polydor, Ayers released Ubiquity in 1970, swiftly forming a group named after the album. His burgeoning jazz-funk had a cinematic flair that flowered on his soundtrack for the seminal blaxploitation film Coffy in 1973.
Ayers hit his groove in the mid-1970s, releasing Everybody Loves The Sunshine, the 1976 album that became the cornerstone of his legacy. Its warm, comforting vibes turned it into an enduring standard that eclipsed its chart position, thanks considerably to it being repurposed on hip-hop records by generations of musicians raised on his music.
“The song changed everything for me,” Ayers said (via The Guardian). “It’s still the last song of my show. People always join in and it’s been sampled over 100 times, by everyone from Dr. Dre to Pharrell Williams. It seems to capture every generation. Everybody loves the sunshine – except Dracula.”
Ayers continued to play fusion as the cult around his old records coalesced. He embraced the newer musicians who created acid jazz, neo-soul, and jazz-rap out of his albums. He appeared on Guru’s pioneering 1993 album Jazzmatazz Vol. 1 and, nearly a decade later, took advantage of his status in neo-soul circles with Mahogany Vibe, a 2004 record featuring appearances by Erykah Badu and Betty Wright.
Ayers didn’t record more albums after Mahogany Vibe but he didn’t become a recluse. He cameoed on Tyler, The Creator’s “Find Your Wings,” then played with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on the 2020 album Roy Ayers JID002.
The endlessly sampled Ayers told Dummy in 2016, “It’s wonderful, the desire young people express for my music. It’s wonderful because I’m still growing in popularity.”
From Rolling Stone US.
Entertainment
Pahalgam Terror Attack: Days After Trumps Backing, US Shuns Pakistani Journalist , Calls For Bringing Perpetrators To Justice
Pahalgam Terror Attack: Days after US President Donald Trump extended his unconditional support to India following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the US has called for the perpetrators of the terrorist attack to be brought to justice.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Thursday (local time) shunned a Pakistani journalist during a press briefing for questioning her over border tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, adding that US President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear that the US stood with India and strongly condemned all forms of terrorism.
“I am not going to be remarking on it. I appreciate this, and perhaps we will come back to you with another subject. I will say nothing more on that situation. The President and the Secretary have said things, as has the Deputy Secretary; they have made their positions clear. I will not continue with something of that manner,” Bruce said.
While addressing a press briefing on Thursday (local time), Tammy Bruce said that Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made clear that Washington stands with India and strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. She said that the US prays for those who lost their lives in the attack and for the recovery of the injured.
On the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Bruce said, “As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have made clear, the United States stands with India and strongly condemns all acts of terrorism. We pray for the lives of those lost and pray for the recovery of the injured and call for the perpetrators of this heinous act to be brought to justice.”
Here Are Top Updates
1. Terrorists attacked tourists at Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam on Tuesday, killing at least 26 tourists while leaving several others injured, in one of the deadliest attacks in the valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
2. Asked whether the US sees Pakistan behind the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Tammy Bruce responded, “I put it at the top because it was a horrible situation. At the same time, that is going to be the extent of the comments at this point. What I can tell you, of course, as we all know, it’s a rapidly changing situation, and we are monitoring it closely, as you might imagine. And we, of course, are not now taking a position on the status of Kashmir or of Jammu either. So that’s really going to be the extent of what I can say.”
3. Following the attack, India has taken strong countermeasures against Pakistan for its support of cross-border terrorism. In the CCS meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, India decided to hold the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism and has closed the integrated Attari Check Post.
4. India has also declared the officials of the Pakistani High Commission as Persona Non Grata and ordered them to leave India within a week. India has also decided to cancel any visas provided under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) and ordered Pakistan to leave the country within 48 hours.
5. The US administration under President Donald Trump continues to support India after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday. US President Donald Trump held a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday and offered his condolences at the loss of lives in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. Trump condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam and expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this “heinous attack”.
6. In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated, “President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump @POTUS called PM @narendramodi and conveyed his deepest condolences at the loss of innocent lives in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. President Trump strongly condemned the terror attack and expressed full support to India to bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack. India and the United States stand together in the fight against terror.”
7. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump condemned the terrorist attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, expressing solidarity with India. Sharing a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Deeply disturbing news out of Kashmir. The United States stands strong with India against terrorism. We pray for the souls of those lost and for the recovery of the injured.” “Prime Minister Modi and the incredible people of India have our full support and deepest sympathies. Our hearts are with you all!” he added.
(With agencies Inputs)
Entertainment
26-year-old dancer shooting for Riteish Deshmukh’s film Raja Shivaji drowns in Krishna river
The deceased dancer was identified as Saurabh Sharma, whose body was found on Thursday morning, two days after he went missing.
A 26-year-old dancer, who was part of the choreography team of actor- director Riteish Deshmukh’s movie ‘Raja Shivaji’, drowned in the Krishna river in Maharashtra’s Satara district just after finishing the shooting of a song, police said on Thursday.
The deceased dancer was identified as Saurabh Sharma, whose body was found on Thursday morning, two days after he went missing, an official said.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at Sangam Mahuli, a village located at the confluence of the rivers Krishna and Venna in Satara district, around 250km from Mumbai, where the shooting of ‘Raja Shivaji’ was going on, he said.
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening at Sangam Mahuli, a village located at the confluence of the rivers Krishna and Venna in Satara district, around 250km from Mumbai, where the shooting of ‘Raja Shivaji’ was going on, he said.
After finishing the shooting of a song in which colours were thrown around, Sharma went to wash his hands in the Krishna river. After washing his hands, he entered deep into the river for a swim, but got swept away by strong water currents, he said.
Police and district administration were alerted about the missing dancer, following which disaster response and rescue teams, including members from local private organisations, rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.
The search and rescue operation was stopped on Tuesday night due to darkness and it resumed on Wednesday morning and went on for the entire day, but the dancer could not be traced, said the official.
Sharma’s body was finally recovered from the river by police and rescue teams on Thursday at around 7.30 am, he said.
An accidental death case has been registered with the Satara police and further probe was underway, the official added.
‘Raja Shivaji’, a bilingual Marathi and Hindi film based on the life of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is being directed by actor Riteish Deshmukh, who is also playing the lead role in the movie.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)
Entertainment
Shehzad Khan reveals his father Ajit Khan warned him for mimicking his voice in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’: ‘Ainda aisi himakat mat karna…’ | Hindi Movie News – The Times of India
Actor Shehzad Khan recently opened up about his father’s initial reaction after watching him mimic his voice in Aamir Khan and Salman Khan’s ‘Andaz Apna Apna‘. He played the role of Vinod Bhalla in the cult classic, which left a strong impression on the audience.
In a recent conversation with Radio Nasha, Shehzad shared details about the casting process for ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. Director Rajkumar Santoshi had rejected the initial casting of the film, but for the role of Vinod Bhalla, producer Vinay Kumar suggested Shehzad’s name. “When I went there, Raj told me about the role and said that I had to use my father’s voice for the character, and that’s how the journey started,” Shehzad stated.
Actor Ajit was unaware of his son’s involvement in the film until others brought it to his attention. Shehzad recalled, “I never told my father about the film, and some people told him, ‘Your son’s new film has come out. A lot of people are talking about it. He has used your voice.’ Then he saw the film and told me, ‘Ainda aisi himakat mat karna (Don’t ever repeat this).’”
‘Andaz Apna Apna’ has achieved cult status, with fans fondly remembering its unique blend of slapstick humour and quirky characters. Alongside Shehzad Khan, the film features an ensemble cast including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Paresh Rawal, Shakti Kapoor, and Viju Khote.
‘Andaz Apna Apna’ is set to return to select cinemas on April 25, 2025.
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