Listen to the January, 2006, Leonard Lopate Show interview with James Blood Ulmer. Music: "Geechee Joe" and "Take My Music Back to the Church" from Birthright by James Blood Ullmer (Hyena Records). Courtesy WNYC radio.
Biographies
James Blood Ulmer
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.
The last several years have seen James Blood Ulmer gaining renewed popularity around the world. In 2006, he
toured Europe frequently with the "Memphis Blood Blues Band" leading to France's prestigious "Jazzman of
the Year" award. His 2005 album, Birthright, was his first ever solo effort. Captured
alone on voice and guitar, hazy and fractured songs like "Take My Music Back To The Church" and "Geechee
Joe" added a new chapter to the solo blues idiom begun by artists like Robert Johnson, Son House and
Leadbelly. The album has quickly become a modern blues cornerstone. It was awarded "Blues Album of the
Year" in both Downbeat's "Readers Poll" and "Critics Poll," while receiving a "Blues Music Award"
(formerly W.C. Handy Award) nomination for "Best Acoustic Blues Album" by The Blues Foundation.
Subsequently, Ulmer began to receive high profile performance invitations, such as slots with Govt. Mule,
Susan Tedeschi, Hal Willner's Neil Young Tribute Concert and Antoine Fuqua's documentary,
Lightning In A Bottle, filmed live at Radio City Music Hall and presented by Martin
Scorsese. In 2007, he made his first ever appearance at the festival of all American rock festivals,
Bonnaroo.
Mark E. Peterson
Throughout a career that now spans more than two decades, Mark Peterson has always fostered the philosophy
that music should be appreciated without regard to category or classification. Peterson has consistently
refused to limit his talent to one specific musical genre, as proven by his lengthy history of work with a
wide array of artists such as pianist Johnny Johnson, Joan Baez, James Blood Ulmer, Vernon Reid, Lizz
Wright, The Syracuse Symphony, Lyle Lovett, Cassandra Wilson, Maxime LeForrestier, Clark Terry,
Mary Black, The Dubliners, Mavis Staples, David Bromberg, Tremaine Hawkins and Ornette Coleman.
Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Mark showed an early interest in music when he started to play the
drums at the age of 7. In his teens, he took up the electric bass, after watching bassist Bootsy Collins
perform with George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelics. At 14, Mark met bassist Stanley Clarke and several
members of the Return To Forever band. Stanley suggested that Mark continue his electric bass studies, but
also recommended that he learn to play the acoustic bass.
In his mid-teens, Mark began performing around St. Louis. He also continued to
study classical music with Henry Loew, Principal Bassist of the St. Louis Symphony. He went on to receive
dual degrees in Music and Psychology. In 1989, Mark made a decisive move to New York City. Shortly
thereafter, he met guitarist Chuck Loeb who would later recommend Mark to be the bassist with the jazz
group Special EFX.
As leader of his own group, "MPQ" - The Mark Peterson Quartet, he has received major acclaim with the
release of his CD, "The Blue Room." Selected by the U.S. Department of State, Mark toured Central Asia as
a Jazz Ambassador, with fellow musicians guitarist David Gilmore and trumpeter Eddie Allen, promoting
transcultural awareness.
Aubrey Dayle
Aubrey Dayle has performed with Garland Jeffreys, Sam Rivers, Sonny
Rollins, Peter Gabriel, David Murray, Chico Freeman and Ernest Ranglin among many others. He has also
worked on "Bring In Da Noize, Bring In Da Funk" as a Broadway musician.
He has also performed on several television broadcasts in
the United States and Europe. Aubrey is currently working with musicians in Canada and the United States
to tour in support of his solo CD project called My id.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Aubrey emmigrated to Canada with his family, and was raised in
Montreal. He began playing the accordion at age 5 and from there learned to play the piano, before percussion became his passion.
While in Canada, Aubrey finished a Bachelor of Music degree in classical percussion performance at McGill
University, while performing on both jazz and classical radio broadcasts
for the CBC, and touring throughout Eastern Canada.
Soon after, Aubrey graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. It was at this time he
became fully committed to his development as both a drummer and a composer. He also started to tour
extensively with James 'Blood' Ulmer and Hassan Hakmoun.
Aubrey has continued to perform in varied situations. He has toured the United States extensively with the
jam band groups God Street Wine and The John Popper Band. Aubrey continues to record and tour with guitarist Vernon Reid in
the group Memphis Blood. This group was nominated for a Grammy award with for the CD entitled "Memphis
Blood, The Sun Sessions featuring James Blood Ulmer" and selected for one of 2003's best albums by Rolling
Stone Magazine for the CD called "No escape from the Blues, James Blood Ulmer, The Electric Lady Sessions".
Most recently, Aubrey has recorded with Memphis Blood in New Orleans on the bands upcoming CD called "Bad
Blood in the City , The Piety Street Sessions". The CD was released in May, 2007.
