February 8, 1940 – June 3, 2026

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James Blood Ulmer passed away on June 3, 2026 at the age of 86.

He was born Feb. 8, 1940 in St. Matthews, South Carolina.

Ulmer was given his first guitar when he was four.

He gained early experience playing for years with r&b groups in Pittsburgh and Columbus, recording with organist Hank Marr in 1964 and Big John Patton during 1969-70.

After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer worked with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Joe Henderson, Paul Bley, Rashied Ali and Larry Young among others.

Most important was his association with Ornette Coleman, becoming part of Coleman’s electric Prime Time group and transferring harmolodics to the electric guitar.

Ulmer mostly performed avant-garde jazz throughout the remainder of his long career that was fueled by his interest in blues and funk, becoming one of the pioneers of free funk.

In addition to his work with Ornette Coleman, he recorded with Arthur Blythe, led more than 30 albums in his career, headed the Music Revelation Ensemble (which for a time included David Murray), co-led the quartet Phalanx with George Adams, and was heard with many different ensembles until his 2024 retirement.

From 1993, James Blood Ulmer and his Music Revelation Ensemble with bassist Amin Ali and drummer Cornell Rochester perform “Street Bride.”

-Scott Yanow

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