James “Blood” Ulmer Trio + Corey Harris Quintet

Friday, September 25, 2009 | 8:00 pm

Reynolds Industries Theater

Since living in Cameroon and Louisiana, the MacArthur-winning Harris has made heart-rattling songs from the reggae and blues that link Africa to New World slave hubs. His band splits the bill with the iconic Ulmer, a man who was born in an S.C. cotton town, carved modernist guitar figures for Ornette Coleman, and has returned to the muddied-up blues that started his journey in the first place.

“Corey Harris is leading a contemporary revival of country blues with a fresh, modern hand. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, he blends musical styles often considered separate anddistinct to create something entirely new for the 21st century.”
–MacArthur Foundation, 2007

“James ‘Blood’ Ulmer’s contributions to the blues, in the short time he’s been gracing it with his artistry, are already irreplaceable […] and approach the monumental. He is a major 21st century blues artist who transcends the category.”
–David Whiteis, Living Blues

“…these dozen tracks sound like they were played by the holy offspring of Chuck Berry and Robert Johnson.”
—OffBeat Magazine, reviewing Ulmer’s Birthright (2005)