Neighbor News
Grammy Award-Winning Jazz Vocalist Carmen Bradford to Perform at El Camino College
Legendary singer performed with Count Basie; will present one-night only performance
El Camino College will present an evening with jazz luminary Carmen Bradford for an unforgettable one-night only performance in Marsee Auditorium. “Carmen Bradford and Friends” will take the stage with a jazz trio at 8 p.m. Oct. 9 to perform blues and jazz standards from the Great American Songbook.
Carmen Bradford’s passionate jazz vocals have been featured in performances and recordings with a wide variety of musicians, including Wynton Marsalis, Shelly Berg, Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, James Brown, Patti Austin, Dori Caymmi, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, and the National Symphony. She continues to tour internationally and has also taught jazz vocal music at USC.
Bradford is the daughter of legendary trumpeter/composer Bobby Bradford and renowned vocalist/composer Melba Joyce. Her grandfather Melvin Moore sang with the Lucky Millender and Dizzy Gillespie big bands in the 1940s, making Bradford a third-generation musician.
She was discovered and hired by William “Count” Basie, and was the featured vocalist in the celebrated Count Basie Orchestra from 1982-1990. In addition to recording several CDs as a solo artist, Bradford performed on two Grammy Award-winning albums with the Basie Band in the 1980s and later collaborated on a third Grammy-winning album with guitarist George Benson in 1991. Bradford’s 2015 release “John Mills ‘Invisible Design’ featuring Carmen Bradford,” is another example of her ability to sing all forms of jazz.
Tickets for the performance are $24 each and may be purchased online at centerforthearts.org, by phone at 310-329-5345 or toll-free at 800-832-ARTS. The Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Campus parking is $3. The El Camino College Marsee Auditorium is located at 16007 Crenshaw Boulevard, Torrance.
