"I couldn't get my album played over the so-called smooth jazz stations. Jazz stations would not play it. You don't always know who you're making that soul connection with"

Roy Ayers is reflecting on the complexities of artistic reception and the limitations imposed by genres and industry gatekeepers. He expresses a sense of frustration and alienation from the music stations that ostensibly should be supportive of his work. The reference to “the so-called smooth jazz stations” and “Jazz stations” refusing to play his album hints at the arbitrary or rigid boundaries often drawn by musical institutions, where innovation or deviation from expected sounds is not always welcomed. Ayers, known for blending jazz, funk, soul, and other styles, regularly challenged these established categories. Rather than celebrating that hybridity, radio programmers and industry tastemakers categorized and excluded it, seeking content that fit narrow commercial definitions. His experience speaks to the struggles of creative people who don’t neatly fit into established genres; their work is often marginalized despite its depth or originality.

Ayers’s insight about the “soul connection” draws attention to the unpredictable nature of genuine artistic connection between musician and listener. Regardless of airplay or commercial support, meaningful art often finds its audience in surprising and unexpected places. The artist cannot always anticipate who will resonate with their work, or how deeply it will impact them. This uncertainty becomes a source of both frustration and hope. While systemic barriers may inhibit exposure, the real “soul connection” transcends gatekeepers and market constraints. The phrase acknowledges the profound but unpredictable pathways through which music moves people.

Through his experience, Ayers highlights both the pain of exclusion from mainstream platforms and the possibility that art’s deepest resonance lies outside conventional channels. The creative journey is fraught with disappointment, but it is also open to serendipity, true connection happens independently, often invisibly, forming bonds between music and audience that industry structures cannot dictate or predict.