Cool Cats

HUMBLE JAZZ AVATAR: If there were an award for most unsung West Coast jazz artist, it might well go to cornetist/trumpeter Bobby Bradford. The soulful and free-spirited Bradford-who played with Ornette Coleman on and off for years, going back to the early ’50s, and was a longtime ally of late, great clarinetist John Carter-is a quietly compelling figure who hasn’t gotten nearly his due. No doubt that’s partly because Bradford opted to live, teach, and raise his family in Los Angeles rather than in New York City. As showcased by a great show at SOhO five years ago-one of the best jazz shows ever to land in SOhO-Bradford is a balanced jazz artist, not trapped in any dogmatic cul-de-sac. He’s inside, he’s outside. He’s melodic, he’s abstract. He plays standards (in a non-standard way) and originals which can be structurally tricky or Texan bluesy.

Bradford and his wittily monikered Mo’Tet make an all-too-rare Santa Barbara appearance at the UCSB MultiCultural Center on Saturday night, an ideal venue. Sporting some of the most interesting and flexible jazz players outta’ L.A.-pianist Don Preston, trombonist Michael Vlatkovich, saxist Chuck Manning, and drummer Chris Garcia-the Mo’Tet show promises to be one of the more exciting local jazz shows of the year. Never mind that Bradford, now vibrant at 73, is out of the international jazz celeb circuit: He’s got it going on, artistically speaking. Bradford makes no special fuss in terms of self-promotion or self-absorption. That humility shines in his music, as well.

Over the years, Bradford has passed through Santa Barbara, with a gigging history here touching on local cultural archeology. In 1991, sponsored by the enlightened and sorely missed Jazz and World Music Society, Bradford performed at Center Stage Theater with soul mate Carter, then riding high in critical regard for his conceptual “Roots and Folklore” recordings. But Carter was ailing, and the Center Stage concert was his final performance before passing away. Bradford also played in the too-brief tenure of Santa Barbara’s greatest jazz club, Ridah Omri‘s small but mighty Jazz Hall (in the Victoria Street space where Maienza Limited now sits). Bradford’s SOhO show in 2003 was a genuine treat, full of grit and wisdom (though not enough bodies).