The recordings of vibraphonist Roy Ayers are part of the foundation of contemporary R&B and hip-hop; Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige and many others have sampled his work.

Roy Ayers, who died March 4 at 84 after a long illness, understood this perhaps better than any other vibraphonist. He had the chops to run rings around many of his peers, and he did just that as a ...