Carmen Bradford (born July 19, 1960,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

singer. She sang with the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 195 ...

from 1983 to 1991. Bradford grew up in a musical family; her grandfather is Melvin Moore, her father Bobby Bradford, and her mother Melba Joyce.Gary W. Kennedy, "Carmen Bradford". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edition, ed.

Barry Kernfeld Barry Dean Kernfeld (born August 11, 1950) is an American musicologist and jazz saxophonist who has researched and published extensively about the history of jazz and the biographies of its musicians. Education In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at U ...

. She studied music formally at Huston-Tillotson College, and sang as a popular singer and for television commercials before scoring a slot opening for the

in 1982. In 1983 Basie asked her to sing with the band, and she remained a singer with the group after Basie's death, under the direction of

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

and Frank Foster. In 1991 she left the group and worked under her own name, releasing several albums; she has also worked with David Murray and Kamau Daaood. Bradford is currently Director of the Jazz Voice Department, and a Roots, Jazz, and American Music faculty member at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodgh ...

Discography

* ''Finally Yours'' (Amazing, 1992) * ''With Respect'' (

Evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field. In epistemology, evidenc ...

, 1995) * ''Home with You'' (Azica, 2004)

As guest

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

, ''

Benny Carter Songbook ''Songbook'' is an album by American saxophonist and composer Benny Carter, released in 1996 by MusicMasters Records.Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, ''All About That Basie'' (Concord Jazz, 2018)

References

American jazz singers American women jazz singers 1960 births Living people Jazz musicians from Texas Count Basie Orchestra members {{US-jazz-singer-stub