James "Blood" Ulmer (born February 2, 1942 in St. Matthews, South Carolina) is an American avant-garde
jazz and
blues guitarist and
singer. Ulmer's distinctive guitar sound has been described as "jagged" and "stinging." His singing has been called "raggedly soulful." Ulmer began his career playing with various
soul jazz ensembles, and first recorded with organist
John Patton in 1969. After moving to New York in 1971, Ulmer played with
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers,
Joe Henderson,
Paul Bley,
Rashied Ali and
Larry Young.