James Blood Ulmer, a distinctive voice in the realms of free-funk and avant-garde jazz, passed away on June 3 at the Upper Eastside Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in New York City. He was 86. His family’s statement highlighted his fearless spirit, reflective of his bold musical approach.
Ulmer, known for his expressive guitar work and captivating vocals, stood out for his innovation in music. He had a profound connection with the blues but infused it with a unique, hallucinatory character. This drew him to Ornette Coleman, a pioneer in free jazz. Together, they explored the concept of Harmolodics, which freed musicians from traditional musical structures. Ulmer’s adaptation of this system involved tuning his guitar strings to the same note, allowing him to create music rich in dissonance and improvisation. He collaborated with daring musicians like tenor saxophonist David Murray and drummers Ronald Shannon Jackson and G. Calvin Weston.
The New York Timescritic Robert Palmer once praised Ulmer’s music for its freshness and intensity. After the release of Ulmer’s album Free Lancing, he was proclaimed “the most original electric guitarist to emerge since the late Jimi Hendrix.”
Ulmer’s music shared a sense of adventure with Hendrix’s, both in their guitar solos and in their expressive use of texture and timbre. However, Ulmer took more risks with tonality, seamlessly transitioning between different musical moods in performance.
Born Willie James Ulmer on February 8, 1940, in St. Matthews, South Carolina, he grew up in a musical family. His father, a Baptist preacher, gave him his first guitar at four years old. Ulmer sang with the Southern Sons Quartette before embarking on a musical journey influenced by rock ‘n’ roll and the blues. After high school, he moved to Pittsburgh, performing with groups like the Savoys and the Del Vikings.
Ulmer later relocated to New York in 1971, securing a regular position at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem. His connections with avant-garde artists such as drummer Rashied Ali and saxophonist Arthur Blythe led to opportunities with major labels. He played on Blythe’s Columbia albums like Lenox Avenue Breakdown and Illusions before securing his own record deal.
Between 1981 and 1983, he released three albums with Columbia Records: Free Lancing, Black Rock, and Odyssey. The last album introduced his band, Odyssey, which included Charles Burnham on violin and Walter Benbow on drums. One notable track from this period was “Are You Glad to Be in America?”
Despite acclaim in the 1980s, Ulmer faced critiques, like the one from critic Greg Tate who acknowledged the unique character of Ulmer’s music. Tate compared Ulmer’s style to a blend of jazz pianist Andrew Hill and blues musician Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Ulmer continued to release music beyond his Columbia years, including significant works like Harmolodic Guitar with Strings in 1993. In the early 2000s, he produced a series of blues albums with Vernon Reid, including Memphis Blood: The Sun Sessions and No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions.
Ulmer’s last performance took place at the 2024 Detroit Jazz Festival. He retired afterward due to declining health. In 2023, during a Philadelphia residency, he performed a solo guitar-and-vocals concert that encapsulated the soulful and mystical essence of his music.
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