James “Blood” Ulmer is an American jazz and blues guitarist and singer. He was born on February 2, 1942, in St. Matthews, South Carolina. Ulmer began his career playing with various soul jazz ensembles, first recording in 1969 with organist John Patton. In 1971, he moved to New York and played with different artists including Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Larry Young, Rashied Ali, Paul Bley, and Joe Henderson. In the early 1970s, he joined Ornette Coleman, becoming the first electric guitarist to tour extensively with Coleman. Later, this blues guitarist formed a group called the Music Revelation Ensemble with David Murray and Ronald Shannon Jackson, and recorded with them throughout the 80s and 90s.
Top 5 Songs
Black Rock
Jazz is the Teacher Funk is the Preacher
Gonna Take My Music Back to the Church
Lonely Man
Love Have Two Faces
Top 3 Albums
Are You Glad to be in America?
Live at the Caravan of Dreams
Music Speaks Louder Than Words
Discography
As leader:
Revealing (In + Out, 1977)
Tales of Captain Black (Artists House, 1978)
Are You Glad to Be in America? (Rough Trade, 1980)
Free Lancing (Columbia, 1981)
Black Rock (Columbia, 1982)
Odyssey (Columbia, 1984)
Live at the Caravan of Dreams (Caravan of Dreams, 1986)
America – Do You Remember the Love? (Blue Note, 1987)
Blues Allnight (In + Out, 1989)
Black and Blues (DIW, 1990) Drayton, Ali, Weston
Blues Preacher (DIW/Columbia, 1992)
Harmolodic Guitar with Strings (DIW, 1993)
Live at the Bayerischer Hof (In + Out, 1994)
Music Speaks Louder Than Words (DIW, 1995)
Forbidden Blues (DIW, 1996)
Blue Blood Innerhythmic, (2001)
Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions (Hyena Records, 2003)
No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions (M, 2003)
Birthright (Hyena, 2005)
Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions (Hyena, 2007)
In and Out (In & Out Records, 2010)
With Odyssey the Band:
Odyssey (Columbia, 3-5/83) Charles Burnham, Warren Benbow
Part Time (Rough Trade, 1983)
Reunion (Knitting Factory, 1997) Burnham, Benbow
Back in Time (Pi Records, 2005) Odyssey the Band: Burnham, Benbow
With Music Revelation Ensemble:
No Wave (Moers, 1980)
Music Revelation Ensemble (DIW, 1988)
Electric Jazz (DIW, 1990)
After Dark (DIW, 1991)
In the Name of… (DIW, 1993)
Cross Fire (DIW, 1996)
With Phalanx:
Phalanx (Moers, 1985)
Original Phalanx (DIW, 1987)
In Touch (DIW, 1988)
with Third Rail:
South Delta Space Age (Antilles, 1995)
As sideman:
Hank Marr: Sounds from the Marr-ket Place (King, 1967, rec.1964)
John Patton: Accent on the Blues (Blue Note, 1969)
Larry Young: Lawrence of Newark (Perception/Castle, 1973)
Rashied Ali Quintet: Rashied Ali Quintet (Survival/Knitting Factory, 1973)
Arthur Blythe: Lenox Avenue Breakdown (Columbia, 1979)
Arthur Blythe: Illusions (Columbia, 1980)
Jamaaladeen Tacuma: Show Stopper (Gramavision, 1982-83)
David Murray: Children (Black Saint, 1984)
David Murray: Recording N.Y.C. 1986 (DIW, 1986)
Riot: The Privilege of Power (CBS, 1990 / Collectables, 2003)
Rodolphe Burger: Guitar Music (Dernière Bande Records, 2003)
J. Cortez & the Firesplitters: Borders of Disorderly Time (2003)
James Carter: Out of Nowhere (Half Note, 2004)
World Saxophone Quartet: Political Blues (Justin Time, 2006)
