James "Blood“ Ulmer's individualistic music is an amalgam of the diverse influences he has encountered since, as a child in South Carolina, he taught himself guitar and began singing in a gospel group. As the leader of various small groups over the years, Ulmer has made a substantial international impact and has been described by Down Beat writer Larry Birnbaum as a cross between Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Mike Bloomfield. International Musician has hailed Ulmer as probably the most innovative, creative guitarist/composer on the scene today.
Previously described by Village Voice music critic Greg Tate as, "the missing link between Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery on one hand, between P-Funk and Mississippi Fred McDowell on the other," James Blood Ulmer has made a career built on left turns and reinvention. Born and raised during segregation in rural South Carolina, Ulmer`s earliest musical roots can be traced back to the Baptist church and the gospel music of which he was raised. In his early 20s, Ulmer went to Pittsburgh where he first began gigging as a professional musician on the Midwest`s chitlin` circuit playing with R&B and organ jazz bands. It was after meeting Ornette Coleman upon moving to New York in the early 1970s that Ulmer truly found his voice. Working steadily alongside his harmolodic mentor in the fabled New York City downtown loft jazz scene, Ulmer`s guitar work blossomed into a one-of-a-kind idiosyncratic style that transcended genre. He`d go onto release a string of acclaimed albums that remain classics to this day, including Tales of Captain Black, Freelancing, Black Rock and Odyssey. And now in the 21st century, Ulmer continues to progress as his most recent history finds him being recognized as an elder statesman of the blues. At the core, however, remains the one and only James Blood Ulmer.
