“This is improvisation-driven music, right at the corner of jazz and post-rock, but there are none of the showy, full-band misdirections that have become so typical of jazz today...something increasingly rare today: group exploration with little flexing or hurry, electric guitar melodies that sound like open promises” -The New York Times
"A guitarist to take note of in L.A.'s creative music scene" -LA Weekly
Gregory Uhlmann is a Los Angeles based guitarist, producer, and composer with an inclination towards mixing the prickly and the beautiful. His debut album, Odd Job, was released in the U.S on Dog Legs Music in 2016 and in Japan on Moorworks in 2017. Chicago Reader described Odd Job as “...a lush brand of chamber pop, eschewing excess and eccentricity in favor of a quest for pure beauty". Having written for various chamber ensembles as well as scored for dance and film, his compositions have been performed at REDCAT, Tutti Festival, and The Poetry Foundation.
As a guitarist, Uhlmann has played and recorded with John Dieterich (Deerhoof), Brian Blade (Joni Mitchell), wild Up (new music ensemble), Jeff Parker (Tortoise), and many others. He has recorded commercials for Vogue and the Netflix TV series, Grace and Frankie as well as contributing music to the podcast, The Moth. Uhlmann is an active member in several bands and works with many artists including, Fell Runner, Similar Fashion, Josh Johnson, Typical Sisters, the BABA orchestra, Nate Mercereau, Tim Carr, and Andy Clausen's SHUTTER. He has worked extensively with dance company, Acts of Matter, as well as with animator/performer Miwa Matreyek. He has had an ongoing collaboration with poet, David Baker, which has included a 25 minute song cycle, a concert length work scored for chamber ensemble, and an improvisational duet of poetry and guitar with effects. Uhlmann also co-founded the production company Dog Legs Music with Tim Carr (Haim/The Americans) in 2016. Together, they've produced projects with Derde Verde, Dia, Andrew Rowan, Owen Clapp, Evan Uhlmann, and Laura Jean Anderson. He has contributed to television commercials for music supervision companies Walker and Teenage Diplomat.
Uhlmann's teachers and mentors include Larry Koonse, Steve Rodby, Bob Palmieri, and Jeff Parker. In 2014 he graduated with a BFA in jazz guitar studies from California Institute of the Arts, where he also studied composition, West African music, Balinese gamelan, and North Indian Classical music. He studied from 2010-2014 with the composer and author, W.A. Mathieu (author, Harmonic Experience). He is originally from Chicago, Illinois.