Bobby Bradford and His CuZns “Freddie Ain’t Ready” 180G Vinyl (SHIPPING NOW)

Intervention Records is thrilled to announce its first jazz release, Bobby Bradford and his CuZns’ Freddie Ain’t Ready.

Freddie Ain’t Ready is about identity. It is about discovering, developing, and embracing who you are. That is an act that makes us examine if we are indeed who we thought ourselves to be, and where does this leave us? Does a glimpse of the truth set us free?

Freddie was recorded live-to-two-track analog at Hollywood’s legendary EastWest (formerly Western) Studios by Steve Genewick and Joe Harley. Custom Flux Magnetics head stacks were used, with no editing, limiting, or compression. Just the highest resolution delivery possible of live sound to your home. Mastering and lacquers are cut by Kevin Gray at CoHEARent Audio, and boutique press RTI delivers dead quiet 180G vinyl. No expense was spared, and laborious attention to detail ensured that the listener is transported into the studio and the creative experience.

Bobby Bradford is one of America’s Jazz greats and an institution within the greater Los Angeles jazz and improvised music community. He hails from Mississippi and Texas, where he developed both his appreciable skills and unique voice on trumpet and cornet. He moved to Los Angeles in 1953 where he reunited with Ornette Coleman (whom he had previously known in Texas). He subsequently joined Coleman's ensemble until he was drafted into the Air Force and replaced by Don Cherry.

He rejoined Coleman's quartet from 1961 to 1963, before moving back to Los Angeles
where he began a long-running and well-documented association with the clarinetist John Carter. In addition, he performed with myriad ensembles and on recording dates with Eric Dolphy, Glenn Horiuchi, George Lewis, Charlie Haden, Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten, Bob Stewart, James Newton, Frode Gjerstad, Vinny Golia, Paal Nilssen-Love, Francis Wong, and David Murray. He also has a long association with his Mo’tet ensemble and CuZns (with William Roper). 

His discography is extensive and includes classics such as Ornette Coleman’s “Science Fiction” and “Broken Shadows.” Additionally, he holds a B.M. from Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, Texas), and was a jazz educator of note at Pomona College (Claremont, California) for 44 years. Bobby is currently 90 years of age and is still performing and smokin’ on his cornet.

This recording project was initiated when drummer-percussionist Garth Powell (Zen Widow, AudioQuest) proposed a performance with CuZns (Bobby Bradford and William Roper) on the long-time New Music Sunday’s series hosted by Open Gate Theatre in Los Angeles. This was extremely well-received, and a grand time was had by all.

Bobby was so taken with the results that he wanted to do more. Garth approached William Roper with the idea that given the current state of the world, it would perhaps be most effective to do a recording. Will submitted the idea to Bobby, and the group was off to the races. The group thought bringing in a fourth person as a wild card or loose cannon might enhance the project. Los Angeles has no shortage of excellent improvisors, but we decided on Brian Walsh. Brian is solid and crazy. Every free improvisation project needs a little crazy! While this is a totally equalitarian quartet, it is fair to say that CuZns is its foundation.

And the foundation of CuZns is Bobby Bradford. Bobby has influenced each member of
this ensemble in some way or another. He is the group’s elder and mentor. So, when it came to coming up with a name for the band, Bobby Bradford and His CuZns was a no-brainer.

Like many great bards, (and he is a musical bard), fellow artists are drawn to Bobby. Garth discovered him when he bought a copy of Ornette Coleman's Science Fiction at 14 years of age. Brian encountered him when he entered Pasadena City College in the early 2000's, a forum from which Bobby influenced scores of musicians. William ran into him through roundabout musical connections. So, it was a hint here, a hint there and people nudging us toward each other, thinking that we might be a good match-up. In fact it was at the memorial for the Japanese American pianist Glenn Horiuchi that CuZns was first formed.

Group Bios

Garth Powell is a drummer / percussionist well-known in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. He has recorded and performed with ensembles in the realms of jazz and free improvisation. The list is extensive, and it includes: Bruce Ackley, Steve Adams, Marshall Allen, Bonnie Barnett, Tony Bevan,  Jaap Blonk, John Butcher, Eugene Chadbourne, Alex Cline, Nels Cline, George Cremaschi, Dominic Duvall, Arrington DeDianyso, Marco Eneidi, Douglas Ewart, Fred Frith, Jeff Gauthier, Gianni Gebbia, Lelio Giannetto, Vinny Golia, Matthew Goodheart, Greg Goodman, Mats Gustafsson, Henry Kaiser, Peter Kowald, Steuart Liebig, Raphe Malik, Miya Masaoka, Shoko Mikagi, Eddie Moore, Larry Ochs, Pauline Oliveros, Jon Raskin, Wadada Leo Smith, Glenn Spearman, Vladimir Tarasov, Bert Turetzky, Saadet Turkos, Michael Marcus, Peter Van Bergen, Michael Vlatkovich, Jack Wright, and Zen Widow.

William Roper is a multidisciplinary artist and multi-instrumentalist. The family of tubas is his main vehicles of expression. He also makes and plays instruments of bone, horn and wood. He has played and recorded with a wide range of artists with some of the notables being Anthony Braxton, Jimmy Cleveland, Gustavo Dudamel, Douglas Ewart, Elton John, Yusef Lateef, James Newton, Horace Tapscott, Esa Pekka Salonen, Wadada Leo Smith, Francis Wong, and Hans Zimmer. He specializes in extemporaneous spoken word within the improvised music environment. He is a composer. He is also a visual artist concentrating within painting, assemblage, and video. Currently he is working on a series of video interviews of some of Los Angeles' elder improvising musicians.

Brian Walsh, a multi-reed man, specializes in clarinet and bass clarinet. He leads
his own Walsh Set Trio and performs in many lauded Los Angeles based ensembles
including: Wild Up Modern Music Collective, Brightwork New Music, Gnarwhallaby,
Partch Ensemble, The Industry and Jacaranda. His performances have taken him
around the world. Walsh has premiered pieces by Luigi Nono, Anne LeBaron, Girard Grisey, James Newton, Andrew Nathaniel McIntosh, Tom Johnson and many others. Past collaborators have included Wayne Shorter, Peter Maxwell Davies, Meredith Monk, Vinny Golia, Gavin Bryars, Bobby Bradford, Bright Eyes, Wallows, James Newton, Andrea Bocelli and Muhal Richard Abrams.