Help Bobby Bradford Recover After Wildfire

1/11/24 - THANK YOU to everyone who donated! Because Bobby and family suffered a total loss, we are still accepting funds. Your consideration for Bobby and other fire victims is deeply appreciated at this time - we are overwhelmed and humbled. K

Bobby Bradford is one of the most vital and iconic voices in creative music, a trumpeter, cornetist, bandleader, and composer whose career spans the better part of a century. At 90 years old, Bobby helped to innovative free jazz with Ornette Coleman, changed the landscape of West Coast music in his collaborations with John Carter, and has worked with a staggering cast of artists that spans the likes of Nels Cline, Andrew Cyrille, Johnny Dyani, Vinny Golia, David Murray, William Parker, John Stevens, and countless others.

Sadly, Bobby lost his Altadena home in the 2025 greater Los Angeles wildfires. He and his wife, Lisa, escaped with only the clothes on their backs. Bobby lost his instruments and countless other items of personal and historical significance. This emergency fundraiser fulfills the desperate need to secure this invaluable artist some sense of normalcy in the aftermath of a devastating event.

My name is Karl Evangelista, an Oakland-based guitarist/composer and longtime collaborator of Bobby's. I'm just doing what I can at a time when family and community are of paramount importance. All of the monies collected from this fundraiser will go to help with Bobby's living expenses, professional items, and other miscellaneous recovery costs.