James Blood Ulmer’s sidelong glance on the back of his album Odyssey, contrasts to the smile he shows on the front cover. This Janus touch hints at the music made with his unconventional group—Charles Burnham’s scratchy violin, often taking solo riffs in place of lead breaks and Warren Benbow’s rolling drums. An utterly original musician, Ulmer’s harmolodic-tune guitar (an influence from his days playing with Ornette Coleman) pairs with his earthy vocals. Liner notes by Milwaukee ex-pat Bill Milkowski recalls Ulmer’s sound as “avant-gutbucket,” the crossroads meeting of outsiders Skip James and Albert Ayler.
Music ranges from the atmospheric skronk of “Church” to the elegiac “Love Dance.” The chorus of “Are You Glad to be in America?” could be a subversive children’s rhyme. “Election” delivers an accessible melody that turns into something much more complex, “Please Tell Her” spotlights Burnham’s dreamlike violin and “Swing and Things” hints at the music guitarist Sonny Sharrock would release with his return to recording.
The 1983 album gets the audiophile treatment in the form of a double LP, mastered at 45rpm from original analog tapes and pressed on heavy180gram vinyl. Full disclosure—if you accidentally play this at 33 rpm it sounds equally great.
