Vinyl Vault: “Free Lancing” – James Blood Ulmer

This week on the Vinyl Vault we feature the 1981 LP from James Blood Ulmer – “Free Lancing,” it was one of three albums Ulmer recorded for Columbia, this one coming shortly after he appeared as a side-man on two of Arthur Blythe’s Columbia albums, “Illusions” and “Lenox Avenue Breakdown.”

“Free Lancing” features Ulmer in three different contexts: a simple power trio with Amin Ali on electric bass and G. Calvin Weston on drums, that trio along with three backing vocalists as well as Ronnie Drayton on second guitar and the trio with a horn section consisting of David Murray and Oliver Lake on saxes and Olu Dara on trumpet. James Blood Ulmer, there’s no one quite like him and you can hear him on the Night Beat with Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, September 26 at 8:30 on the “Vinyl Vault” on KUVO.