Then of course during the toon, the duck and rabbit tear off alternating signs of Rabbit Season and Duck Season, until the sign comes up for "Elmer Season". And I suddenly thought how funny it would have been if that sign were replaced with a sign picturing James "Blood" Ulmer, Ulmer season. Except on my stereo every season is Ulmer season. Which tangentially led me to tonight's post. An idle mind is a dangerous thing I guess.
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| Preacher, Teacher |
James "Blood" Ulmer's Odyssey has long been a favorite record of mine. I saw a review of this album probably in Newsweek of all places and I knew that I had to hear it, but not really knowing what it was about. And in my opinion I lucked out. I think Odyssey is one of those singular American albums, combining downtown free jazz, with country, blues, traditional folk songs and blending into something completely unique. Traditional and avant-garde collide head on here. At times serious, sometimes nostalgic, in places even playful, the music seems incredibly personal, a heartfelt vision. Mostly instrumental, but with some distinctively gruff vocal tracks by Ulmer, the album is a real journey running the gamut of emotions. It has the feel of a concept album.
The band is an interesting three piece, with Charles Burnham on Violin and Warren Benbow on drums. Of course, Ulmer's stellar Harmelodic guitar riffing is a dominant force here, though Charles Burnham more than holds his own. In fact, Burnham's violin work is a big part of why this album is so special. For whatever reason, this setup works wonderfully. I was fortunate to actually see this lineup on stage probably 10 years ago at the Knitting Factory. Ulmer was definitely larger than life that night, a charismatic performer who as a remember was fairly cowboyed up, boots, leather clothes I think with tassels even. A real badass, heavy gravitas. They seemed to be having a great time playing this music. The thing I remember the most was that I noticed something odd about Burnham on stage, something I initially could not place. The hat, pointy goatee, the vest. Suddenly about 2/3rds of the way through the set, I looked down and noticed he was wearing those pointy Arabian Nights shoes with the toes curled up. He was dressed up like one of Santa's maniacal elves. Who knows why? The music was so terrific I didn't really care that night. You just feel fortunate that you could be part of it.
Because Odyssey almost has the feel of a 35 minute piece broken into eight parts, I have trouble finding a highlight here. I just listen from the beginning to end. I like his voice a lot, so Little Red House and Are You Glad To Be In America? are two of my favorites. The closing instrumental number Swings and Things, does exactly that; it's basically a Harmelodic hoedown, with great bow work by Charles Burnham. Election is another excellent number, with a lot of playful, humorous riffs.
Though this is my favorite album of Ulmer's, he has done a lot of great things over this career, working with saxophonist David Murray in the Music Revelation Ensemble, studying Harmelodics under the tutelage of the master himself, Ornette Coleman. More recently, he has released some traditional blues albums that are quite good, notably the covers album Memphis Blood, and Bad Blood in the City, his reflections on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Always an interesting unique guitarist, Ulmer never fails to please whatever project he undertakes.
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