Biography

James Blood Ulmer is arguably the only guitarist to have successfully bridged jazz, blues, and the avant garde. Raised on gospel music, Ulmer cut his teeth as a sideman in the 1970s with heralded jazz men such as Art Blakey, Paul Bley, and Ornette Coleman. By the '80s, Ulmer had fully immersed himself in New York's avant-garde scene and honed his playing into a distinctive style all his own--equal parts blues grit, jazz finesse, and downtown skronk. Early in the new millennium, Ulmer teamed up with guitarist Vernon Reid to record a straight blues set at the legendary Sun Studios. The resulting album, MEMPHIS BLOOD, was a critical and artistic success.

Top Tracks

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• A Thing For Joe/grant Clavin Weston

• After Dark

• Are You Glad To Be In America?

• Arena: Church

• Arena: Lights Out

• Black Rock

• Black Sheep

• Bright Lights, Big City

• Dimples

• Double Trouble

• Family Affair

• Forbidden Blues

• Ghetto Child

• House On Fire

• Hymn

• I Ain't Superstitious

• Jazz Is The Teacher (funk The Preacher)

• Layout

• Lonely Woman

• Maya

• No Escape From The Blues

• Open House

• Overnight

• Overtime

• Page One: Blood And John

• Page One: In The Name Of...

• Revealing

• Revelation March

• Sittin' On Top Of The World

• Skies Of America

• Spoonful

• Take My Music Back To The Church

• Theme From Captain Black

• This Land/peace And Happiness

• We Got To Get Together

• Who's Been Talkin'

Discography

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• Black Rock Reunion Live

  American Revelation Music

  2009

• Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions

  Hyena Records

  2007

• Birthright

  Hyena Records

  2005

• No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions

  Hyena Records / Sin-Drome Records

  2003

• Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions

  Label M

  2001

• Blue Blood

  Innerhythmic

  2001

• Forbidden Blues

  DIW (Japan)

  1998

• Music Speaks Louder Than Words

  Koch Jazz / Koch Jazz

  1997

• Live at the Bayerischer Hof

  In & Out / In + Out Records

  1994

• Harmolodic Guitar with Strings

  DIW (Japan)

  1993

• Blues Preacher

  DIW/Columbia

  1992

• Blues All Night

  In & Out

  1989

• Live at the Caravan of Dreams

  Caravan of Dreams Productions

  1986

• Part Time

  Rough Trade

  1983

• Black Rock

  Columbia

  1982

• Free Lancing

  1981

• Tales of Captain Black

  DIW (Japan)

  1978

• Revealing

  In & Out / In + Out / In + Out Records

  1977