Cindy Lynn Bradley (born December 11, 1977) is an American smooth jazz trumpet and

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

player and composer.

Early life

Bradley was born in

North Tonawanda North Tonawanda is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 31,568 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is named after Tonawanda Creek, its south bo ...

in upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. She already played piano, but picked up her first trumpet by accident at age nine because it was the only available instrument which she recognized in her teacher's list for school band classes. She began playing traditional jazz trumpet as a schoolgirl and went on to earn degrees in jazz studies at Ithaca College in New York state and in jazz trumpet performance at the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

in Boston, Massachusetts.

Career

Bradley released her debut album ''Just a Little Bit'' on her own label in 2007. In 2009, she signed with Les Cutmore's Trippin' N' Rhythm Records and recorded her second, ''Bloom'', with Grammy Award-winning producer Michael Broening at his studio in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Bloom'' won instant critical acclaim and Bradley followed it in 2011 with ''Unscripted''. The hit single from that album, "Massive Transit", co-written by Bradley and Broening, remained at No. 1 on the US

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Smooth Jazz Songs chart for six weeks. ''Unscripted'' itself topped the Billboard Jazz Albums chart for two weeks. Bradley cites her major influences in jazz as fellow trumpet players

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

, Lee Morgan, and Blue Mitchell. When she is not touring or playing at jazz festivals, she works as a public elementary school band teacher in New Jersey.Interview with Cindy Bradley July 3, 2013. Cindy is a longtime vegan and animal rights advocate. Bradley's sixth solo album, ''The Little Things'', was released in May 2019 and her seventh, ''Promise'', in July 2023.

Awards

* 2009 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival Debut Artist of the Year * 2010 American Smooth Jazz Awards Best New Artist * 2010 ''Smooth Jazz News'' Debut Artist of the Year * 2011

Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards The Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards (Oasis Music Awards) is a United States based award presented annually to recognize achievement in the smooth-jazz music format as well as Jazz Fusion and other sectors of the contemporary jazz genre. The award c ...

New Artist of the Year * 2011 Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards Brass Player of the Year * 2011 ''Jazziz'' magazine's Critics' Choice of the Year for ''Unscripted''

Discography

As leader * 2007 ''Just a Little Bit'' (CB Jazz Music) * 2009 ''Bloom'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2011 ''Unscripted'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2014 ''Bliss'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2017 ''Natural'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2019 ''The Little Things'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2023 ''Promise'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) As sidewoman * 2005 The DIVA Jazz Orchestra ''A Tommy Newsom Tribute'' (Lightyear) * 2006 Cordovan ''Highway 10 Blues'' (Cordovan Records) * 2009 ''The Very Best of Christmas'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2010 Oli Silk ''All We Need'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2011 Nate Harasim ''Rush'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2011 Elan Trotman ''Love & Sax'' (E.T. Muzik Productions) * 2012 Phil Denny ''Crossover'' (Off Sheet Music) * 2012 Jay Stewart ''Enjoy the Ride'' (CD Baby) * 2012 Elizabeth Mis ''Breakaway'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records) * 2012 Pete Gitlin ''Amplify'' (Coming Together Music) * 2012 Paula Atherton ''Enjoy the Ride'' (Dot Time Records) * 2013 Kris Brownlee ''Sincerely Yours'' (Megawave Records) * 2013 Althea Rene ''In the Flow'' (Trippin' N' Rhythm Records)

References

External links

Official Website
* Trippin' N' Rhythm Records http://www.trippinmusic.com/#/home/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Cindy 1977 births Living people American jazz trumpeters Ithaca College alumni Jazz musicians from New York (state) Musicians from New York (state) New England Conservatory alumni People from North Tonawanda, New York Smooth jazz trumpeters