Jazz vocalist Carmen Bradford will appear Apr 23 on the "Jazz in the Crawlspace" series held at the KNAC with a trio of drummer Keith Hall, pianist Matthew Fries, and bassist Carlo De Rosa. The 7 p.m. show is sold out; the 9 p.m. session still has availability. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students at kzoojazz.com.
In a conversation with Cara Lieurance and Keith Hall, Bradford offers stories about her remarkable career, mentorship by Count Basie, and her recent pivot to music education.
Now in her second year as jazz voice professor at Michigan State University, Bradford speaks warmly about the next generation of artists. "There's so many young, incredible singers and composers," she says. "They're just wonderful and they love big band music."
Born into a deeply musical family — her mother is vocalist Melba Joyce and her father is trumpeter Bobby Bradford — Carmen credits a chance encounter with Billie Holiday's album cover at age 15 as the turning point that drew her fully into jazz. Her path to the Count Basie Orchestra began when, as a sophomore at Houston Tillotson University, she approached Basie backstage and pitched herself on the spot. "I think you'd make a million dollars if you'd hire me," she told him. He called nine months later and made good on his word.
Bradford also discusses her recent album Carmen Sings Carmen — a tribute to Carmen McRae recorded with grad students at the University of Northern Colorado — which has spent 22 weeks on the jazz charts.
Hall says the collaboration was immediately obvious after spotting Bradford at a Randy Napoleon gig. "I came right up to her and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, we have to work together.'"
The Jazz in the Crawlspace series, held roughly monthly, is made possible through the John Stites Jazz Awards, a foundation honoring the late Kalamazoo recording engineer. Hall reflects on a standout year of programming, citing performances by saxophonist Jimmy Green, Bobby Watson, and Rufus Reid among the season's highlights.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
