423. Clea Bradford “My Love’s A Monster” (Cadet, 1968)

NY Night Tain Soul Clap & Dance-Off Top 500 ripped from the original 45s!

While this track was a bit too slick for the raw sound of my earliest parties, and only appeared on Halloween, I began dusting it off with more frequency in my soul sets as I was gradually seduced over the years by the creativity, dynamics, and musicality of soul music by Clea Bradford and these jazz players. Since some jazz heads dismiss their heroes’ soul and pop deviations as dumbing down or selling out, and the aesthetics aren’t always an easy fit with much of the soul spectrum’s preferences, tracks are often passed over completely. But, seeking a diversity of sound within my genre sets, and someone who’d always rather create a home for a misfit track than more predictable choices buoyed by the safety of subcultural consensus, I’m sad I didn’t see the true beauty of this fiery ember when I picked it up over a decade ago. And its so punchy and unique I still don’t fully understand why my rough aesthetic was so unbendable back then! And listen to those cool guitar runs and the massive drum break!

Highly regarded by jazz critics and her fellow musicians for her versatility and range, and standing 6-foot tall with long straight hair, high cheekbones, and striking features that reflected her Ethiopian/Chocktaw ancestry, Clea Bradford was as magnificent sonically as she was visually. The daughter of a preacher man, she was born in Clarksdale Mississippi, raised in Charleston, Missouri, and wound up moving to St. Louis with her mother. Recognized for her musical talent from early childhood, she performed publicly for the first time at the age of three and was soon taking part in neighborhood jam sessions at Jimmy Forrest’s house swingin’ with the likes of Miles Davis, Clark Terry, and Oliver Nelson. Can you imagine the sound of this pantheon in a living room? Or what an uncommon educational opportunity that would’ve been for a young musician? Soon a featured live vocalist with Forrest, Ike Turner, and other bands around the Gateway to the West, Bradford was already earning a living as a musician by the time she was seventeen. Before long she’d packed her bags and let music and wanderlust lead her on an epic voyage that crisscrossed a dizzying map of residences. She called New York, L.A., Chicago, D.C./Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo home at least one point in her restless career.

As a Fortune Records nut I can’t wait to one day get a chance to hear to her elusive 1958 Hi-Q debut single “I’ve Got You.” In the 60s she turned out a a pair of well-received jazz LPs featuring her legendary St. Louis friends Terry and Nelson plus all-star heavy-hitters like Hank Jones, Barry Galbraith, Osie Johnson, Milt Hinton, and George Duvivier, “These Dues” (1961 on Prestige subsidiary Tru-Sound) and “…Now” (1965 on Mainstream), before the eclectic collection from which this track emerges, “Her Point Of View” (1968 on Chess’ Cadet subsidiary). While most of the other “Her Point Of View” tracks are uniquely stylized interpretations of standards (including this single’s flip side, her killer take on “Summertime”), Bradford penned this original sexy colossus with the stellar producer/arranger Richard Evans.

Also a social activist, Clea Bradford followed in the footsteps of Dizzy Gillespie and Louie Armstrong as a U.S. state-department jazz ambassador. And she became one of the rare American musicians of her era to get a chance to perform in the Soviet Union when she embarked upon a six-week tour 1966 tour with Earl “Fatha” Hines and Benny Carter.

Funky 16 Corners appreciation of Clea and her Monster hit

Washington Post Clea Bradford obituary with biographical details

go to NYNT for the complete illustrated stories about each song and artist from the NYNT Soul Clap 500 list

go to the SoundCloud playlist to hear the NYNT Soul Clap 500 mixed DJ style w/banter

go to the YouTube NYNT Soul Clap 500 playlist