posted by Robert J. Carmack / Chuck Koton-Photos

One of the best part of living in Los Angeles besides the weather, is the plethora of great art museums. The County of Los Angeles on Wilshire for Modern Art has been pumping out great live jazz concerts for years. many I have been witness to, and some I missed. Unfortunately, I missed the recent Friday evening’s lineup (August 14) when the Bobby Bradford Ensemble came on like “a Tsunami” to the capacity audience in the outside venue.  what a band he brought on this warm,sunny day. (Band ) Bobby Bradford on cornet, Vinny Golia on bari sax and bass clarinet, William Roper/tuba, vocalist Dwight Trible, trumpeter Josh Aguiar, Cathlene Pineda/piano, bass clarinet, tenor sax Brian Walsh, Tina Raymond/drums and Zephyr Avalon on bass.

Fortunately for me, my good friend and well respected jazz photographer Chuck Koton attended the outstanding concert  where he was able to  capture some of the electricity coming out of the musicians, including special guest vocalist Dwight Trible. Trible “delivered the word” on the now classic ode to Lester Young, by legendary bassist Charlie Mingus, Good Bye Pork Pie Hat.  

It was less than two weeks ago, a maximum crowd watched Dwight Trible perform with his own group at LACMA ,taking the audience on a pleasant mystic journey. Bobby has always had the midas touch in knowing which ingredients to toss into the Jazz gumbo he’s been known for. Putting the right personnel for the sound chemistry that exist in the players.

My first experience with Bobby Bradford was in college, as he was my professor of Afro-American music, circa 1972. At that time Bradford was co-leading a local band of journeymen musicians including fellow music educator and co-founder, John Carter, an able-bodied woodwinds player,primarily clarinet.  You can dismiss without investigation, but listening to Bradford in 2015 is like being a time machine,catapulting you into an Astral -traveling scene that constantly changes, which is what improvisations is all about.. go to the internet for further study on Bobby Bradford..