Ken Ulansey

Ken Ulansey is a woodwind chameleon, fluent in folk and world music traditions, many styles of jazz, classical, pop, and a wide range of hybrids. He has played, recorded, or toured with hundreds of wonderful musicians—and has the stories to prove it. Ken has given entertaining solo talks and performances, sharing tales of traveling alone for a year in the Himalayas with a saxophone, or surviving his early recording session for Windham Hill. More often, he brings along his equally talented friends—such as Phyllis Chapell, Dave Posmontier, Paul Jost, or Chico Huff—to create concerts ranging from intimate duos to inspiring eight-piece bands. Ken has performed at a wide variety of music festivals, including Newport Jazz, Philly Folk, Telluride Composer, and Prague Spring. His Philadelphia appearances span venues from the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music to major hotel ballrooms and legendary small jazz and folk clubs, and he has also been featured at Lincoln Center in New York. He and his bandmates have played and toured with a bewildering array of well-known musicians, including Philip Glass, Grover Washington, Susan Werner, Steve Goodman, James Taylor, and David Darling, as well as poets Allen Ginsburg, Gregory Corso, and Anne Waldman, and theater productions with renowned composer Heath Allen. Whether for house concerts, talks, clubs, or festivals, audiences can count on being entertained and enriched by the palpable love of music shared by Ken and his friends.