Biography of James Blood Ulmer

Guitarist. Originally from South Carolina, Ulmer sang with a gospel group The Southern Sons until he was 13. Moving to Pittsburgh in the late 50s, he played in many popular dance groups and in concerts hosted by Dick Clark. He later played and toured with several bands, including with Dionne Warwick. He spent several years in the late 60s in Detroit, working with a jazz- and blues-oriented band and doing explorations in progressive jazz. Ulmer went to New York in 1971 and began the study of Harmolodic Theory with Ornette Coleman. In that period he also recorded with Rashid Ali and played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has recorded with many of the most respected figures in progressive jazz, including Ronald Shannon Jackson, David Murray, Oliver Lake, Olu Dara, and Ornette Coleman. His percussive harmolodic funk brings together funky soul roots with the no-frills wide-open feel of free jazz. Also a composer and vocalist, his poignant vocals on Are You Glad to Be in America? and America, Do You Remember the Love? bespeak the irony of the American dream in terms of the Black experience. ~ David Nelson McCarthy