Biography
Born in August of 1982, Brad was raised in the midwestern city of St. Paul, MN. Exposed by his uncle Steve to the Trumpet, he began his musical journey at the age of 8 on trumpet; he quickly decided that the trumpet was not for him. After learning to play the piano, he switched to the Euphonium (which he still plays professionally) and finally to the trombone at age 12.
Living in the Twin Cities exposed Brad to a wide variety of music. In addition to the pop/rock/funk scenes present in the city (the same music scene that Prince came up through and still can be seen visiting), the Twin Cities has a thriving jazz culture that Brad immersed himself in. Listening to the great MN trombone players Michael B Nelson, Jim Ten Bensel, Wade Clark, Brad Bellows, and Dave Graf, Brad was inspired to take up the jazz mantle and continue the long tradition of jazz trombone. Due to this choice, Brad decided to pursue the best jazz education he could find by attending the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Program.
During his time at the New School, Brad studied with some of the top names in jazz, including (but not limited to) Bobby Sanabria, Richard Boukas Benny Powell, Art Baron, Armen Donelian, Andy Mckee, Jimmy Owens, Luis Bonilla, and Ku-Umba Frank Lacy. He studied many styles of music, ranging from straight ahead jazz to funk, Brazilian to Afro-Cuban, and free jazz to rock. Graduating with honors in 2005, Brad sought to play with the best musicians he could find. Since his moving to New York in 2001, Brad has performed with Dem Brooklyn Bums, Foxy Moon Baby, Charli Persip, Abe Silverman and his Big Band (and is a soloist on his album), Bobbi Sanabria and the NSU Afro-Cuban Big Band, The Funky Fritters, and many others. In addition, over the past years Brad has completed contracts for Carnival Cruise Lines and helped to found with guitarist Braden Palmer the now defunct Oort Cloud Collective.
Brad’s currently performs with Blue Nitrous, Tom Abbott’s Big Bang Big Band, and The Sharp Things, a chamber pop ensemble that is quickly becoming a sensation all over the country.
As Brad has worked on his arranging and performance over the years, he has received praise from some of the top names in jazz music. Benny Powell has praised his work as an arranger, and Tim Newman has stated, "Bradley has a bright future in arranging." In addition, Ku-Umba Frank Lacy has praised the work of the Oort Cloud Collective, and has called Bradley "the first rock trombone player."
Brad, in addition to pursuing his performing career, also has deep ties to education. As a musician, he feels a responsibility for helping to educate the youth about jazz and about music in general. In response to this need, he went back to school to become a New York State Certified Music Teacher, and is currently teaching in at the Achievement First Bushwick Charter School – Middle. There, he has founded a music program focused on the jazz big band – every student will learn how to play an instrument and improvise in a big band setting. In addition, Bradley also offers private lessons – if you are interested in studying, please contact him through the Contact page.