The Instrumental Ingenuity of U.L.T.R.A. S
Look across the Hudson River and you can see the dramatic skyline of Manhattan from a town in New Jersey’s Hudson County called West New York. You might also be able to hear the all-instrumental jazz-rock fusion band U.L.T.R.A. S as it’s where these Jersey Boys rehearse. Their name is an acronym for Universe Less Traveled Reveals Authentic Self. In other words, “following your creative voice into the unknown is the path to making it more authentically your own,” according to bassist Billy Carrion, who has laid down the funky bottom for such Latin superstars as Eddie Palmiere and Ray Barretto. His guilty pleasure, though, is grooving to old-school video-game soundtracks but don’t tell anyone.
Ask guitarist-composer John Morrison who he considers his influences and he’ll tell you Joe Pass [from New Brunswick], John Scofield, Steely Dan’s Jon Herrington [from Paterson] and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Drummer-Composer Jarrett Walser soaked up the vibes while playing with legendary jazz bassist Rufus Reid [from Teaneck]. He adds both acoustic and electronic percussive elements. Keyboardist Campbell Charshee has a synth rig fit to swoon over. He’s a Health Justice Organizer by day who writes, if you ask him, “consciousness-awakening liberation music” (his 2022 War On Health mixtape has relieved over $76K of U.S. medical debt to date).
When they’re in the studio, everything is always done live in one take: no overdubbing, no add-on tracks. The one take is then mixed and mastered to perfection. Their collective muse encompasses bands like the half-Jersey Return To Forever plus King Crimson and Weather Report. Their self-titled debut will land later this year.
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