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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZULMER, James 'Blood'(b 2 Feb '42, St Matthews SC) Guitarist, vocalist; also plays flute; composer. An uncategorizable musician, a sort of avant-garde bluesman full of pent-up passion, infl. by Jimi Hendrix but often playing quietly. Sang gospel music, learned guitar as a child; moved to Philadelphia as pro c'60, worked with organ funk groups; to Detroit, studying and practising in a quintet late '60s; to NYC '71 and steady gig at Minton's for several months. Worked with Art Blakey, Paul Bley, others; studied with Ornette Coleman '74, appeared with him at Ann Arbor Jazz and Blues Festival, tours late '70s and proved an astute student of Coleman's harmolodics. Played on LPs by Joe Henderson, others; with Arthur Blythe on Lenox Avenue Breakdown and Illusions '79--80; quartet Revealing '77 with Cecil McBee, George Adams and drummer Doug Hammond was said to be his first album as leader, appeared on In+Out CD '91. Tales Of Captain Black '78 on Artists House (with Coleman) and Are You Glad To Be In America? '80 on Rough Trade with Oliver Lake, David Murray, Ronald Shannon Jackson and others were both later on DIW CDs. Freelancing, Blackrock and Odyssey were on CBS, Part Time '84 on Rough Trade, Live At The Caravan Of Dreams '87 on C of D label, and America--Do You Remember The Love? '87 on Blue Note, co-prod. by Bill Laswell, who also played bass, with Jackson on drums, Nicky Skopelitis on twelve-string guitar and banjo: a low-key but passionate question about the nature of the USA, with plenty of bent notes and fine, subtle R&B-infl. playing from everyone. Subsequently his bassist was usually Amin Ali, drummer usually Calvin Weston. A good 'new music' sampler Knitting Factory Tours Europe 1991 on Knitting Factory was actually recorded in NYC, incl. two fine tracks by an Ulmer quartet with two guitars, others by Samm Bennett and Chunk, the Thomas Chapin Trio and solo guitarist Gary Lucas. Further Ulmer albums have been quartet Music Revelation Ensemble '90 on Elektra Jazz/DIW with Murray, Black And Blues on DIW and Blues Preacher '92 on DIW/Columbia; accessible quintet (with two guitars) Blues Allnight '89 and trio Blues Experience Live At The Bayerischer Hof '94 were both on In+Out, both made in Germany, the former accessible, the latter among his best. Music Speaks Louder Than Words '96 on DIW was two trio sets with Michael Mustafa Ulmer on piano on three tracks, mostly celebrating the music of Ornette Coleman. |