Trumpeter Akili Bradley on being seen and heard

By Kyla Marshell

Published April 29, 2026 at 9:56 AM EDT

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For a new series on up-and-coming jazz artists, WBGO's Kyla Marshell spoke with trumpeter and Bay Area native Akili Bradley about developing her sound, honing her creative voice, the importance of representation for Black women in music, and how working with pianist Jason Moran led to her meeting activist Angela Davis.

Angela Davis, Jason Moran, Akili Bradley

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Kyla Marshell

Kyla Marshell is a writer whose essays, poems, interviews and criticism have appeared in The Guardian, The Believer, Kinfolk, Gawker, BuzzFeed, O, the Oprah Magazine, The Ringer, The New York City Jazz Record and elsewhere. She has earned Jacob K. Javits, Cave Canem, UCROSS and MacDowell fellowships; Ebony.com named her one of "7 Young Black Writers You Should Know.

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