Carmen Bradford at Live at the Vineyards

The Morning Set reached out to Vocalist Carmen Bradford in anticipation of her performance with the Count Basie Orchestra, August 12th, at our signature fundraising event: Live at the Vineyards. On Live & Local, we aired a few highlights of this conversation but we share the full conversation and transcript below for your enjoyment.

For more information on Live at the Vineyards, click here.

How Carmen Bradford Met Count Basie

Carlos Lando:
I have a special place in my heart for Mr. Basie. I was a young, young announcer in Puerto Rico – It was my home in the late 70s and one of the few doing any kind of Jazz Radio at the time. And a friend of mine called me and said, “Hey, Count Basie Orchestra is coming to the Virgin Islands to help inaugurate a brand new amphitheater out there called the Reichhold Center and if you can fly over, I’ve known Bill Basie for a long, long time and I’d be happy to introduce him to you after the show.” And I said, “Are you kidding me?!” So I got on a plane and went out there and went to the show, and got to spend about 10 to 15 minutes with Mr. Basie backstage after the show. He was so generous with his time. It was just, I-I can’t explain how I felt – It’s still to this day, one of the highlights of my life having met that man. I’m a little frustrated because I couldn’t find the cassette years later that I recorded with, but I always remember his generosity with his time. And I was just as important as all the dignitaries that were there that night, to inaugurate this amazing center. And so that kindness and that humility, which he showed with me, has stayed with me in my life. So I gotta say, and I know that you’re one of the last people that came into the group, Mr. Basie hired you himself. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Carmen Bradford:
I was part of the opening act when Mr. Basie came to Austin, Texas, where I was a student at Huston Tillotson University. It was Huston-Tillotson college back then, it’s a black college. And it’s spelled H-U-S-T-O-N dash T-I-L-L-O-T-S-O-N. And so I was singing in R&B bands back then and doing – I think I knew two standards all the way through, right. And so I got the offer to sing a couple of tunes for the opening of the show. And the group that was performing was called Passenger. And so Mike Mordecai was the booking agent, and when he was contacted by the Willard Alexander Agency, the agent that handled Count Basie Orchestra, Count Basie and his orchestra, her name is Dee Askew. Well Dee is now the manager of the Count Basie Orchestra… God bless her, you know, to have been with the band this long. And she said we didn’t want a singer, a local singer to open for the band, because they already had Dennis Rowland, who was the vocalist at the time. And so I think my friend, Mike Mordecai, just begged… basically. And so that’s how I ended up opening the show for him.

When I got to the theater, Mr. Basie was already there. His dressing room was in the basement, and they didn’t have an elevator in this particular theater at that time. So he had to sit stage right. He was already riding on a motorized cart, and the gentleman that traveled with him was there with him. And so I saw them standing on the other side of the stage, and I approached Mr. Basie and I said, “Hi, Mr. Basie, my name is Carmen Bradford and I’m part of the opening act for you tonight – I’m going to be singing and I just I think you’d make a million dollars if you’d hire me.” And he said, “Really? A million?” And I said, “Oh yeah, there’s nothing like having a young lady on stage in a lovely dress.” And he looked like he wanted to call security! And so I said, “Well, will you listen to me when I go out and sing?” He said “Sure honey, I’ll listen.”

So I went out and I sang A Foggy Day and I sang the tune Lost in the Stars – beautiful ballad. And I came off stage and I said, “Well, what did you think?” And he said, “Well, I’m gonna hire you.” I said “Really?! ‘Cause I could go back to the dorm and pack my stuff up now and get my truck and I’m ready!” And he said, “No, no, not tonight. But I’ll be in touch with you. Give me your number and I’ll be in touch with you very soon.” And I said “Okay, well I’m going to run back to the dorm and get a cassette of me singing rock and roll so you can take it with you tonight when you leave, in case you forget who I am.” He said “Okay, but I won’t forget who you are.” And so I went back to the dorm, got a cassette, brought it back to him. The band left and I moved out of the dormitory and was renting a house for two other young ladies from school. Months went by, to the point where my roommate said “That old man is not going to call you.” I said, “Oh, yes he is. He’s got something else going on but he’s got definitely going to call me.”

So there was a birthday party for me, a surprise party, that they weren’t planning well so I took over and did the rest of the planning myself. But when I blew out my birthday candles, I said, ‘Oh, God, please let Count Basie call me tomorrow.’ And I just kind of completely forgot about, you know, my wish. And so the next day, I was scheduled to travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico because I was singing in a band called Minor Miracle led by John Mills, Dr. John Mills, who is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. And so I was getting ready to get in his car, and my roommate said, “There’s some old man on the phone.” And I thought, you know, may have been my grandfather, who was also a singer, a Big-Band vocalist. And so I thought it might be an emergency, let me go back in the house – I had completely forgot about my wish. I went back in the house and I said, “Hello?” And he said, “Is this a little girl that wants to work with me? This is Mr. Basie.” And I said, “Is this Otis?” And he said, “No dear, this isn’t Otis.” I said “Otis, you know I’ve been waiting for Mr. Basie to call me. It’s been nine months now, I’ve been waiting,” And then I said, “Don’t play on the phone.” And I hung up the phone.

Carlos Lando:
Wow.

Carmen Bradford:
And so then I walk back outside to the car, opened the door, and my roommate said “It’s that oh man again on the phone.” So I went back in the house and I said, “Hello?” And he said, “Listen here – if you hang up again, I’m gonna call another little girl. Do you understand me? Now this is Mr. Basie, Do you want to work with me?” And I said, “Well hi, Mr. Basie! And he said, “Hello.” I said “Well, how are you?” He said, “I’m fine. How are you?” I said, “I’m so sorry, I thought you were my cousin Otis, forgive me.” And he said, “Well, that’s okay. I’m calling because I want you to join the band.” And I said, “Really? It’s just taken so long for you to contact me.” He said “I know and I’m sorry about that,” he said, “but I’d like for you to join us very soon.” He said, “So somebody’s gonna call you.” I said, “For sure?” And he said, “Yeah. “And I said, “Well, okay, thank you so much!” I said, “Well, how much does it pay?” – I had just turned 23. And he said, “What do you care?” I said, “I don’t care, my dad makes me ask when I have a gig, or if I’m babysitting or something for someone, you know?” And then it was this long silence again, like I’m thinking he probably could have called for the police, you know, to intervene. But he said, “Well, I’ll see you when you get here.” I said, “Well, okay, well, it doesn’t matter to me how much you pay. The next day, I got a call from Sonny Cohn, who was the road manager at the time with the Basie band – also playing lead trumpet. And so Sonny called me and said, “Hey, is this a little girl?”

Carlos Lando:
Little girl, little girl..

Carmen Bradford:
And I answered to that – I said, “Yes, this Carmen, the little girl.” And he said, “Well, hello, dear,” he said, “This is Sonny Cohn. I’m the road manager with the Count Basie  Orchestra and we would like to see you on Friday.” And I said, “Well, this is- this is Wednesday?” And he said, “I know what day it is,” he said, “So you bring all of your big band arrangements..” I said, “Well, I don’t have any big band arrangements.” And he said, “Well bring all your little beaded gowns..” and I said, “I sing in Levi’s and cowboy boots and a sweatshirt.” He said, “Well just put a little rope around your suitcase and we’ll see on Friday.”

Carlos Lando:
Oh my goodness!

Carmen Bradford:
He was supposed to have a ticket for me at the airport and like 30 of my college friends came to the airport to see me off. And I got to the airport and I was so excited to see them but there was no ticket for me. No airline ticket. And so I immediately started to cry and all of my friends said, “Don’t worry, just wait right here.” They all went to the ATM and purchased a roundtrip ticket for me to Boston. And they said “And then if it’s just fake, then you just come back to school.” And I said, “Oh my God, I hope this is real.”

So I got to Boston and got to the hotel, which was the Boston Park Plaza. And there was a reservation and a room for me, but the band had not checked in yet. So went to my room – and my room was on the front side of the hotel at the Boston Park Plaza when the windows were just giant and they could still open windows, you know, in a hotel room. And so I recall leaning out the window looking for them, I said, ‘Well, surely, they’re all going to be coming in separate limousines, you know, with it being the Count Basie Orchestra.’ And so I’m leaning out the window, and then, you know, just waiting and looking. And then came this big, stankin’, old, Fume-y Greyhound bus. And it pulled up to the hotel. And I said, ‘Well surely they’re not in that… And sure enough, those doors open and a bunch of old, black men got off. I said, “Ooo it’s them!” I ran down to the lobby of the hotel, and Mr. Basie was the last to get off. And I said, “Hi, Mr. Basie, I’m here!” And he said, “Yes, you are.” I said, “Well, there was no ticket for me and my friends bought me a ticket.” And then Sonny Cohn had walked up. He said, “What? there wasn’t a ticket for you?” He said, “Well, we’ll take care of you.” So I said to Mr. Basie, “Well, what are we going to do now?” And he looked at me like, “Do you not see that we just are checking into the hotel?” But in my excitement, I was just, you know, all over the place. And he said, “Well, we’re going to check-in but we’ll meet you down here at 5:30,” he said, “and you and I will get on the bus last.” I said, “Okay!”

So 5:30 rolled around, everybody got on the bus. And he introduced me, we were both standing at the front of the bus. And he said, “Gentlemen, this is our new little girl.” And he put his arm around my shoulder. And then he said, “What’s your name, honey?” I said, “My name is Carmen.” And he said, “This is our new little girl, Carmen.” And he said, ” Well you sit right here, Honey, okay?” And so I sat down, I was in the very first seat – he sat right behind me. And then he stood up again and pointed at all of, how shall I put it? All of the road dogs on the on the bus, pointed at each of them, made eye contact with each of them. and said, “Don’t even think about it!” Like that. And then “Don’t even try to hit on her, just keep it walking, keep it moving.” So that’s how I started with the band and that first gig, it took them three weeks to have my arrangements written. Eric Dixon did one, Dennis Wilson did one, and Chico O’Farrill. They were all just incredible arrangements and that first performance when I joined them, that was with Tony Bennett.

Carlos Lando:
Wow.

Carmen Bradford:
Yeah, it was just incredible. And then the next day we had off, we had the day off. That morning after that performance with Tony Bennett, where I just sat backstage and watch the show, Mr. Basie said to me, “Make sure you just watch Dennis Rowland every night, and watch his timing and how long he takes to bow. And sometimes Dennis wants me to give him an encore,” he said, “but I don’t want you to do that. You do your songs. And you take your lovely bow and you exit the stage. Okay?” I said “Of course, Okay!” So the next morning came and I got a call from his valet, asking me to come to Mr. Basie’s room. Well, we have the night off that night, that day and night. And so, just when I was getting ready to go to Mr. Basie’s room, and I didn’t give that any thought, you know, that he would want me to come to his room that morning, my father called: Jazz trumpeter Bobby Bradford, avant-garde musician.

He called and he said, “Well, how did it go?” I said, “Dad, it was so great. They worked with Tony Bennett last night and the singer was great.” He said, “Oh, that’s wonderful,” he said, “but what did you think of the band?” I said “They’re also old!” He said, “Listen here,” he says, “this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I know you’re not really getting a real understanding of where you are and why you are there. “He said, “This was some serious stuff here and you better wake up, you hear me?” He said, “And don’t shame the family!” I said “Okay! But they’re still so old!” He said, “That’s all right. You just train your butt off, that’s what you’re there to do. You better sing, and you better swing hard.”

Carlos Lando:
Boy, boy, boy…

Carmen Bradford:
I said, “Okay.” So then he said, “Well, what are you doing today?” And I said, “”Well, Mr. Basie wants me to come to his room right now.” And then my Dad said, “What the hell for?!” I said, “I don’t know!” He said, “Oh, my goodness! Are you serious? He wants you to come to his room?” He said, “Well, listen here, Carmen. When you go to his room, if he tries anything, if he tries to touch you, you just, you just knock him out and you run!” I said, “I am not going to beat up Count Basie and I have not sung a note yet.” My dad said, “Did you hear what I said? If he tries to touch you or flirt with you, you just get out of that room. I mean it!” Just, he was just enraged. Right? He said “And you call me as soon as you leave.”

So I went to his room and the valet answered the door. He said, “Oh, come on in and it go on in the bedroom. Mr. Basie is in there.” And I said, “Okay?” So I went into his bedroom, and he was dressed in the most beautiful silk pajamas with a matching robe and C.B. monogrammed on the lapel of his robe. And he had on velvet house shoes – I’ll never forget it. Velvet slippers with C.B. monogrammed on there and it was all in royal blue – Just gorgeous! Looking like old money, you know? So he was sitting on the bed and he had this beautiful, beautiful breakfast set up, beautiful linen tablecloth and China and Crystal – just the works, you know, as you would expect it to be. And so he said, “Sit down honey!” So I sat across from him. And he said, “Have you had any breakfast yet?” I said, “Yes, I’ve already eaten.” And he said, “Well, what did you think of the show last night?” I said, “It was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life and I’m just so excited to be here.” And he said, “Well, we’re excited to have you and I can’t wait to hear you. Your arrangements will be ready in a couple of weeks but you just continue to watch Dennis Rowland.” And so then he said, “So what are you going to do today? You know, we have the day off.” And I said, “Well, I’m gonna go and buy my friends some souvenirs.” He said, “Oh, that’s nice.” He said, “Well come over here and sit next to me.” And I thought to myself, ‘Oh, Lord, I’m getting ready to beat up Count Basie right now.. I’m getting ready to beat him up..’ Right?

So I sat next to him, but I sat far from him, you know, an arm’s length from him. And then he pat the bed – He was patting it, telling me to scoot closer. And I scooted a little closer, and he kept patting. He said, “No, no closer. Right next to me.” And I said, “Okay.” I said, ‘Oh, this is it. This is it. He’s gonna touch me?’ And so was on my right, okay? And we’re sitting on the bed and then he grabbed my hand, grabbed my right hand and pulled it over his lap. And I thought, ‘What in the wor- Oh, my goodness! He’s pulling my hand on top of his lap, my God!’ And then he leaned on me – to the left, right on my shoulder, and pull something out of his pocket, his robe pocket, and put it in my hand and closed my hand and he said, “Now go shopping and come back and show me what you bought.” I said, “Okay!” I opened my hand and he put $100 bill in there.

Carlos Lando:
Wow.

Carmen Bradford:
So I went shopping, I went out bought a bunch of crap: snow globes and foam fingers with Boston on it and everything. And so when I got back, I knocked on his door (to) his room, and the gentleman that travels with him said, “Come on in Honey, he’s still in the bedroom in there.” So I went in the bedroom and he said, “Hey! Well, what do you buy? Let me see it!” And I had two big shopping bags with just a bunch of crap in there, right? So I emptied everything out onto the bed. And he had me show him everything. And so then he said, “Well, did you bring me any change?” And I said, “Was I supposed to bring you some change?” And he said, “No, I just thought I’d ask.” And so after I showed him everything he said, “Now we don’t have to tell anybody but let’s do this on our day off, Okay? I’ll just send you shopping and you come back and show me what you bought on our off days, okay? You don’t have tell anybody.” And I said, “Well, okay!” So that’s what I did, for three weeks. I went shopping and came back and showed him everything I’d purchase and we’d have these wonderful chats and he was just the most beautiful human being I think I’ve ever met. And he just, he changed my life. The man gave me wings, you know?

Carlos Lando:
Yeah.

Carmen Bradford:
He jump-started my career and, I mean, he leaped my career into motion and I’m just forever grateful, forever. So I stayed with the band nine years after that. I got to work with Mr. Basie only one year. And I was just – Oh God, when he passed away, I was just devastated. And even when I talk about him too long, it just makes me choke up, you know? Because he was just so kind to me. He adored me and spoiled me rotten, and I just adored him and he loved me too.

Steve Chavis:
That’s a story for the ages. I’m sure you’ve told it many times. Keep telling it – That’s a great story… inspiring in so many ways.

Carlos Lando:
That’s an audio book.

Steve Chavis:
Yeah, your book!

Carmen Bradford Reflects on the Count Basie Orchestra Under the Direction of Scotty Barnhart

Carlos Lando:
Carmen, let’s fast forward to the present day and the Count Basie Orchestra with Scotty Barnhart. Of course, your career has gone in many, many directions since that time. In reading up, I know you worked with the Basie band pretty consistently for about nine years. And then you started to do you’re thing, and looking at some of the some of the names I mean – not many people can have Willie Nelson and James Brown in the same group of people who’ve you’ve worked with. But now, here we are with the Basie band and so many accolades. I know musicians who are taking the night off to come in here to the Count Basie Orchestra with you as a featured vocalist because the band hasn’t been in Colorado for a long, long time. And so the live recordings, Live at the Birdland, the accolades, the Grammy nominations – it’s pretty much a given right now that the Count Basie Orchestra, this group of guys plus yourself, are right now really at the top of the game. I mean, everybody’s talking about this band and your contributions also.

Carmen Bradford:
Really? Wow! I didn’t know that.

Carlos Lando:
Yes! They are, they are. It’s like I said, we know musicians that say I would pay to be allowed to play with his band, and givin’ up gigs! And go way out there, you know, to come and hear the group. But as we started this conversation, you were here a few months ago. This performance that’s coming up in August is outdoor at a vineyard. It’s a beautiful setting with a big dance floor. We’re hoping it’ll be a throwback to the days of when the Basie band would play, you know, till 1-2-3 in the morning, you know, swinging the blues. And people found a way to dance and so forth. So, what’s it like for you now, when you get called in to play with this this group of guys?

Carmen Bradford:
Well I mean, it’s just like working with family, you know? It’s always a pleasure and when we don’t see each other for quite a while, it’s just a love fest. I will say, it truly is. You know, since Scotty has become the LEADER out of all of the leaders that came before him – Thad Jones, Grover Mitchell, Bill Hughes, Dennis Mackrel – none of them have recorded the band ever so much. Scotty is the reason that the band is truly listened to and known about because the band has done a new album almost every year, you know almost, since he’s become the leader. His dedication to Mr. Basie, and the survival, and the future of the band – it’s just in great hands with him. I just cannot say enough about him and how proud I am. And I’ve told him on more than one occasion, how proud Mr. Basie would be of him, you know, representing the band and for all that he’s done, I love it.

Carlos Lando:
Yeah well, I can hear it in your voice Carmen, and I can’t wait to to meet you, personally, when you when you get out of here to Colorado.

Carmen Bradford Shares Advice for Young Musicians

Steve Chavis:
My question is really for the young singers: You know, we have a lot of singers come through and we get a fair amount of material from young singers. You have a gift, you’ve been given a great instrument. You run the whole range. You bring the soul, you bring the fire, you bring the sweet melody, and the polish. How do you guide young singers who are influenced by Idol and The Voice and they just want to do runs… What’s the one thing that you tell singers as they want to take their voice to the next level?

Carmen Bradford:
Thank you so much for your kind words. The singers that are coming to audition for a jazz program, they’re usually not coming (and) singing a lot of runs and riffs. You know? I think it’s important that they know how to do that, you know, just as I did that – just as I sang a lot of runs and riffs. I don’t want to ever discourage anybody from learning how to sing everything – I just tell them as I was told: There’s an appropriate place in the song, in the genre that you’re working on, for exactly what they’re doing, but this is not one of those. Maybe just a little bit, when you’re doing the blues, you know, maybe just a little color here and there. That’s what I tell them. Because singers nowadays, they need to learn how to sing everything. They need to know how to write songs, you know, they need to be composers now. They need to know how to sing R&B, sing jazz, even country if they can, and any other kind of genre. And they need to learn as many languages as they can and learn to play piano to accompany yourself. Because 90% of the time, there won’t necessarily be a jazz gig for them to sing on and they might have to do something else. And I want every vocalist that that works with me, by the time they graduate from school, I want them to be able to make a living, you know? Whatever the gig is in music – not get out, not graduate and have to live that your mom’s basement, you know what I mean? I don’t want them to have to move back home. I would love for them to go and get a gig where they can actually, you know, pay their rent! Be it a cruise ship gig, a hotel gig singing – it’s just so important to know how to do everything these days. Of course, you want to do what your heart is pleading to do and sing jazz, but sometimes it’s just the road is not that smooth. And it shouldn’t be! You got to be willing to try other things, you have to. There’s just too many doors and opportunities and things to try, things to experience, genres to experience, and commercials to do and films and motion picture soundtracks. There’s just a wealth of incredible things to do. And I don’t want them to just, you know, decide on that one box and live there and just be so tunnel vision that you’re not open to other things – you have to be. You have to be if you’re gonna survive doing this.

Carlos Lando:
Carmen, as I’m reading through your bio – what you’ve just described and the advice that you have given those young students: You don’t only talk the talk, you walk the walk. That’s part of who you are, exactly what you just described – with all the different people that you’ve worked with, with having an open mind, open ears, and everything else. So once again, I commend you on that. And, again, looking forward to having you out here for Balistreri Live at the Vineyards with the Count Basie Orchestra. I hope you had a good time telling the story as we did, you know, really learning about who you are as a person. It’s been a joy for us so thanks a lot. We appreciate it!

Carmen Bradford:
Thank you so much!

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Photo Credit: Photos Courtesy of https://carmenbradford.com/ and https://www.thecountbasieorchestra.com/