James Blood Ulmer

Willie James "Blood" Ulmer (February 8, 1940 – June 3, 2026) was an American jazz, free funk and blues guitarist and singer. He played a Gibson Byrdland guitar. His guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging". An article by journalists Peter Margasak and Graham Flashner called Ulmer's singing "raggedly soulful".

Life and career Willie James Ulmer was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina, United States on February 8, 1940. He began his career playing with soul jazz ensembles, first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1959 to 1964, and then in the Columbus, Ohio, area from 1964 to 1967. He recorded with organist Hank Marr in 1964 (released 1967). After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, Rashied Ali, and Larry Young.

In a 2005 DownBeat interview, he said guitar technique stagnated after the death of Jimi Hendrix. He stated technique could advance "if the guitar would stop following the piano" and indicated he tunes his guitar strings to A.

Discography As leader Tales of Captain Black (Artists House, 1979) Are You Glad to Be in America? (Rough Trade, 1980) Free Lancing (Columbia, 1981) Black Rock (CBS, 1982) Odyssey (CBS, 1983) Part Time (Rough Trade, 1984) Live at the Caravan of Dreams (Caravan of Dreams, 1986) America – Do You Remember the Love? (Blue Note, 1987) Blues Allnight (Bellaphon, 1990) Revealing (In+Out, 1990) Black and Blues (DIW, 1991) Blues Preacher (DIW, 1993) Live at the Bayerischer Hof (In+Out, 1994) Music Speaks Louder than Words (DIW, 1995) Plays the Music of Ornette Coleman (DIW, 1996) Harmolodic Guitar with Strings (DIW, 1997) Reunion (Knitting Factory, 1997) Forbidden Blues (DIW, 1998) Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions (Label M, 2001) Blue Blood (Innerhythmic, 2001) No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions (Hyena, 2003) Guitar Music (Dernière Bande, 2003) – with Rodolphe Burger Back in Time (Pi, 2005) Birthright (Hyena, 2005) Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions (Hyena, 2007) In and Out (In+Out, 2009) Black Rock Reunion (American Revelation, 2009) Blues Odyssey (American Revelation, 2010) Live at Birdland (American Revelation, 2010) Freelancing Live (American Revelation, 2013)

With Music Revelation Ensemble No Wave (Moers, 1980) Music Revelation Ensemble (DIW, 1988) Elec. Jazz (DIW, 1990) After Dark (DIW, 1992) In the Name of... (DIW, 1994) Knights of Power (DIW, 1996) Cross Fire (DIW, 1997)

With Phalanx Got Something Good for You (Moers Music, 1986) Original Phalanx (DIW, 1987) In Touch (DIW, 1988) Phalanx Live (American Revelation, 2013)

With Third Rail South Delta Space Age (Antilles, 1995)

As sideman Rashied Ali, Rashied Ali Quintet (Survival, 1973) Karl Berger, Conversations (In+Out, 1994) Arthur Blythe, Lenox Avenue Breakdown (Columbia, 1979) Arthur Blythe, Illusions (Columbia, 1980) James Carter, Out of Nowhere (Half Note, 2005) Ornette Coleman, Celebrate Ornette (Song X 2016) Ry Cooder, The End of Violence (Outpost, 1997) Jayne Cortez, Borders of Disorderly Time (Bola, 2003) Joe Henderson, Multiple (Milestone, 1973) Hank Marr, Sounds from the Marr-Ket Place (King, 1964) David Murray, Children (Black Saint, 1985) David Murray, Recording N.Y.C. 1986 (DIW, 1986) John Patton, Accent on the Blues (Blue Note, 1969) John Patton, Memphis to New York Spirit (Blue Note, 1996) Rochester/Veasley Band, One Minute of Love (Gramavision, 1985) The Roots, Phrenology (MCA, 2002) Juma Sultan, Whispers from the Archive (Porter, 2012) Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Show Stopper (Gramavision, 1983) World Saxophone Quartet, Political Blues (Justin Time, 2006) Frank Wright, Blues for Albert Ayler (ESP Disk, 2012) Larry Young, Lawrence of Newark (Perception, 1973)