William Roper and Bobby Bradford are CuZns, a name referencing their identity as Black Americans and the elements that form brass: copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn)

Roper is a multidisciplinary artist, working in tuba performance, composition, and spontaneous spoken word. Bobby Bradford is a cornettist and elder of improvised music in LA. Over many years of collaboration, the two have developed a performance style and rapport unlike any other, moving quickly between cornet, tuba, singing, and speaking, with nods to historical culture, cross-genre music, and the Black American experience.

In this chat, Roper and Booby take a few minutes to talk to us about their history and origin story.

To learn more about CuZn’s film and accompanying postcard by Alicia Brown, go here. To see their film, become a Middle Ear Project member and access our full film catalogue.

RETURN TO ARTIST CHAT ARCHIVES

Show Notes

• See the trailer for this film: https://youtu.be/i9RCUJ8z-fY

• Hear Purple Gums: https://www.youtube.com/live/q1T0XLnxNLY?si=1Z0fnB4UBdaYUHkr

• Learn more about Roper: https://roperarts.com/