Saturday, January 11th, 2020

James 'Blood’ Ulmer Odyssey BAND + Harriet Tubman

$25 ADV, $30 DOS // 7:00 PM Doors

James 'Blood Ulmer' Odyssey

Previously 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. And now in the 21st century, Ulmer continues to progress as his most recent history finds him being recognized as an elder statesman of the blues. At the core, however, remains the one and only James Blood Ulmer.

Harriet Tubman

The music group, "Harriet Tubman" formed in 1998 when drummer J.T. Lewis, guitarist Brandon Ross and bassist Melvin Gibbs came together to start a band with meaning. Named after the heroic African-American slave who risked her life to escape from slavery and help more than 300 others to do the same, Harriet Tubman is deeply inspired by the ideals of freedom. The trio’s music -- a fusion of soul, rock, jazz, and blues -- examines the depths of these genres for their own unique liberated musical expression. The band counts Jimi Hendrix, Ornette Coleman, and Parliment-Funkadelic as contributors to its musical DNA. Guitarist and singer Brandon Ross, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and Drummer JT Lewis have collaborated with artists as diverse as Cassandra Wilson, Living Colour, Lou Reed, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill, Sting, Arrested Development, the Rollins Band, David Murray and Meshell Ndegeocello. Their own sound is pure and liberated musical expression—a deep and soulful meditation on the concept of freedom.

Integrating sampling and other digital methods into a compelling genre-defying sound, Harriet Tubman embraces the pioneering spirit of jazz. Re-contextualizing musical technology to create innovative compositions is an important part of the African-American tradition, and the trio sees Harriet Tubman as its contribution to that tradition. In essence, "Harriet Tubman" makes music that is a fusion of soul, rock, jazz, blues, and avant-garde.