Mark Adams, Roy Ayers’ Longtime Musical Director, Releases “This Is Neo-Soul”

Keyboardist, composer, and longtime Roy Ayers music director Mark Adams returns with This Is Neo-Soul, a 10-track album arriving March 20, 2026, on DownJazz Records — the vinyl-first label founded by New York drummer David Schwartz. The album gathers fifteen all-star musicians from the bands of Roy Ayers, Chic, Lonnie Liston Smith, Luther Vandross, Gloria Gaynor, Gil Scott-Heron, and Chaka Khan, creating a modern neo-soul statement that honors a living musical language rather than a nostalgic tribute.

Adams spent more than 20 years as the keyboardist, arranger, and onstage anchor of Ayers’ touring group Ubiquity, performing thousands of shows worldwide. “It’s a Roy Ayers, ’70s sound, but we authenticated it with the people who played that music and the people trained by them,” Adams says. “I played with Roy for more than 20 years. He taught me everything. So we made this the real thing.”

Produced in collaboration with Schwartz, This Is Neo-Soul channels gospel harmony, jazz-fusion momentum, dance-music architecture, and global DJ culture. Highlights include live-captured crowd favorites such as “Don’t Stop” (originally “Don’t Stop the Feeling”), soulful reinterpretations like “Open Letter” and “Vibrations,” and nods to neo-soul pioneers with tracks like “Expansions” and “LLS Groove.” Vocalists Kimberly Davis, John Pressley, Jonathan Quash, Miya Bass, and B Carter contribute alongside instrumentalists from Ayers’ circle including Chris DeCarmine (drums), Dave Mullins (sax), Monte Croft (vibraphone), Steve Kroon (percussion), and Kenyatta Beasley (trumpet).

The album balances homage and innovation, maintaining Ayers’ harmonic depth and trance-like pocket while incorporating contemporary textures like electronic atmospheres, hip-hop production, and gospel influences. “Every other song has vocals,” Adams notes. “It’s almost like a Robert Glasper record — heavy improv with dance energy.”

A vinyl-first project, This Is Neo-Soul emphasizes warmth, depth, and physical presence. More than 200 U.S. record stores are set to stock the release and host listening sessions. A follow-up remix edition, created by twelve international DJs and producers, is planned for summer 2026, further expanding the album’s global sonic reach.

This Is Neo-Soul is both a tribute and a continuation of Roy Ayers’ legacy — a historic moment in neo-soul performed by the true heirs of the “Godfather of Neo-Soul.”