Geof Bradfield - Our Roots - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

With a 2008 month-long tour of Africa as inspiration, Chicago saxophonist Geof Bradfield composed a rhythmically rich, harmonically challenging suite, drawing on his experiences in Rwanda, Congo, Uganda, & Zimbabwe. Incorporating elements of jazz, Bradfield connects the sounds of Africa with those of the African Diaspora in North America, creating a stunning musical travelogue. Before writing, he assembled a group of like-minded, dynamic Chicago musicians to compose for-pianist Ryan Cohan, guitarist Jeff Parker, trumpeter-percussionist Victor Garcia, bassist Clark Sommers, and drummer George Fludas helping to forge a powerful group aesthetic for the recording. Inch... a colorful tableau filtered through personal experience and infused by an understanding of the history of the continent.Inch - Jazz Chicago.

Neil Tesser. Chicago saxophonist and composer Geof Bradfield immersed himself in box after box of Melba Liston's scores at Columbia College's Center for Black Music to deepen his appreciation of her work and perhaps lead to a project that would raise her profile. With a CMA grant in hand Bradfield went on to create this six-part suite tracing Liston's wide-ranging career with a blazing septet including Jeff Parker Ryan Cohen and Victor Garcia. the long lines complex themes and meticulous structuring of this score point to the high craft of Bradfield's writing... - Howard Reich Chicago Tribune.

Chicago tenor saxophonist Geof Bradfield returns with a new recording featuring the stellar rhythm section of pianist Ron Perillo, drummer George Fludas & bassist Clark Sommers. Roundly lauded for his debut recording, InchRule of Three,Inch Urban Nomad further displays the rhythmic flexibility, harmonic sophistication and lyrical phrasing of Bradfield's dynamic and vital voice. Through a collection of original compositions topped off by several standards such as InchYou're My EverythingInch and InchCon Alma,Inch this seasoned quartet plays with undeniable command and conviction. InchBradfield's blowing mixes grits' n gravy with erudition.Inch - Downbeat Magazine.