James Blood Ulmer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Blood Ulmer
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Ulmer performs in Innsbruck, Austria, in 2011 with Charles Burnham and Warren Benbow.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Willie James Ulmer |
| Also known as | Damu Mustafa Abdul Musawwir |
| Born | February 8, 1940 St. Matthews, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, harmolodics, free funk, electric blues, avant-funk |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 8, 1940) is an American guitarist and singer known for his unique style of jazz, free funk, and blues. He plays a Gibson Byrdland guitar and is famous for his "jagged" and "stinging" sound. His singing voice has been described as "raggedly soulful," meaning it's full of emotion and character.
Contents
Musical Journey
Early Life and Career
Willie James Ulmer was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina. He started his music career playing with soul jazz groups. He first played in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1959 to 1964. Later, he moved to the Columbus, Ohio area and played there until 1967.
In 1971, Ulmer moved to New York City, a major center for music. There, he played with famous jazz musicians like Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, and Larry Young. This was a big step in his career, as he got to work with some of the best in the business.
Working with Ornette Coleman
A major moment in Ulmer's career was when he joined the band of Ornette Coleman, a legendary jazz musician. Ulmer was the first electric guitarist to tour and record a lot with Coleman. Ulmer has said that Coleman was a huge influence on his music. Coleman's own music began to feature the electric guitar more, partly thanks to Ulmer's powerful playing.
Leading His Own Bands
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ulmer began to lead his own projects. He signed with Columbia Records and released three important albums: Free Lancing, Black Rock, and Odyssey.
The album Odyssey featured his new group, Odyssey The Band, with drummer Warren Benbow and violinist Charles Burnham. One music critic described their sound as "avant-gutbucket," which is a way of saying it was a raw and powerful mix of old-time blues and modern, experimental jazz.
Around 1980, Ulmer also started the Music Revelation Ensemble with saxophone player David Murray. This group included other famous musicians over the years, such as Pharoah Sanders and John Zorn. In the 1980s, he also co-led a band called Phalanx with saxophonist George Adams.
Exploring the Blues
Later in his career, Ulmer focused more on blues music. He recorded several blues albums, including Memphis Blood, No Escape from the Blues, and Birthright. These albums showed his deep connection to the roots of American music.
Views on Music
Ulmer has strong opinions about music. In a 2005 interview, he said that guitar playing hadn't changed much since the death of rock legend Jimi Hendrix. He believed that for guitar music to move forward, guitarists needed to stop trying to copy the piano. He also mentioned that he uses a special tuning for his guitar strings to get his unique sound.
In 2009, Ulmer started his own record label called American Revelation to release his music independently.
Selected Music
James Blood Ulmer has recorded many albums. Here are a few of his most well-known works.
- Tales of Captain Black (1979)
- Are You Glad to Be in America? (1980)
- Free Lancing (1981)
- Black Rock (1982)
- Odyssey (1983)
- America – Do You Remember the Love? (1987)
- Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions (2001)
- No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions (2003)
- Birthright (2005)
- Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions (2007)
With Music Revelation Ensemble
- No Wave (1980)
- Music Revelation Ensemble (1988)
- Elec. Jazz (1990)
With Phalanx
- Original Phalanx (1987)
- In Touch (1988)
See also
In Spanish: James Blood Ulmer para niños
