The philosophical and musical battles
between traditional jazz fans and advocates of smooth or "contemporary"
jazz may continue to rage, but for younger musicians coming up, by now
they probably constitute just a chapter of jazz history to be studied
at, say, the New England Conservatory, where trumpeter/flügelhorn player
Cindy Bradley matriculated. On Unscripted, Bradley seems to mock the
jazz category controversies, combining with producer Mike Broening to
create a varied album on which she gives the impression of traveling
from club to club, or perhaps from one radio station to another, playing
effectively with whomever she encounters. That's the import of the
brief interludes between some tracks, after which Bradley turns up
performing lively smooth jazz ("Massive Transit") or soul-jazz ("Deja
Blue") or making like a session musician providing low-key accompaniment
for a movie soundtrack set against strings ("Inevitable"). Actually,
all of these are Bradley/Broening originals, though Bradley also takes
on Wayne Shorter's "Fingerprints" and the pop standard "You Don't Know
What Love Is." The current (if not "contemporary") jazz musician, she
seems to be saying, must be ready to take on all assignments, and no
matter the context, she solos imaginatively on her instruments
throughout.
