Brad Felt

His third CD Dana Sessions: Duets with John Dana was released in 2021 (recorded circa 2010). Felt played euphonium on all 13 tracks, accompanied by bassist John Dana.

In addition to frequent work in Detroit-area nightclubs, Felt's performances were regularly featured at the annual Detroit International Jazz Festival. During an appearance there in 2010, he said:

Felt's skill as a jazz songwriter coincided with and developed alongside his work as a performer. He started writing jazz tunes soon after he began playing the music, eventually generating over 60 compositions – Many of which were featured in live performances as well as on his recordings. As he noted in a 2010 interview:

He addressed his unusual choice of instruments for the music he played in a 2010 interview:

His second CD First Call was released in 2009 featuring his NūQuartet Plus in a program of original compositions. He played euphonium on all eight songs, supported by Steve Wood (tenor and soprano sax), Gary Schunk (piano), Nick Calandro (bass) and Bill Higgins (drums). Reviewing for the Southeastern Michigan Jazz Association, Piotr Michalowski stated:

Certificate of Appreciation – Outstanding Service to Jazz Education – International Association of Jazz Educators, Toronto (2003)

Instructor – Applied Improvisation, University of Toledo (2003–2009)

Individual Artist Fellowship for Jazz Performance, National Endowment for the Arts (1995)

Felt was the subject of a "Just Stanecki" news feature on Detroit's WJBK-TV in 1992.

Around 1990, the Steve Wood/Brad Felt Quintet was featured as part of the Detroit-area cable TV series Jazz Masters-Keepers of the Flame.

In April 1990, Felt headlined a concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts entitled The Tuba Rules! featuring primarily his own compositions. Supporting Felt were Steve Wood and James Carter (reeds), Rob Pipho (vibes), Kenny Cox (piano), Jaribu Shahid (bass) and Danny Spencer (drums).

In 1990 Felt appeared with Kenny Cox and the Guerilla Jam Band at the Moers Festival in Germany.

Felt added euphonium and baritone horn to his instrumental arsenal during the 1990s. He began to put more focus on euphonium in succeeding years, to the point where many performances featured that instrument exclusively. His first CD Exordium was released in 1995 (re-released in 2019), with five original compositions among eight tunes. It showcased performances by Felt on tuba, euphonium and baritone horn, Gary Schunk on piano, Jaribu Shahid on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. In his review, Cadence magazine’s Richard B. Kamins stated:

In the 1990s Felt met Howard Johnson, leader of the tuba-focused band Gravity. This led to Felt's participation in two European tours with Gravity (in 1998 and 1999) as a featured performer.

Individual Artist Fellowship for Jazz Performance, National Endowment for the Arts (1990)

In 1989, the quintet Felt co-led with Steve Wood travelled to California for a performance at the Hollywood Palace as a finalist in the Hennessy Cognac Jazz Search competition.

Felt won an artist's grant for jazz composition from the Michigan Council for the Arts in 1989 and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1990 and 1995.

Creative Artist Grant for Jazz Composition, Michigan Council for the Arts (1989)

Felt attended Bloomfield Hills Andover High School, graduating in 1974. His tenure in the concert band there culminated with a performance of Frank Bencriscutto’s "Concertino for Tuba and Band." Following high school Felt attended Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan on a performance scholarship. Oakland's music department included a strong jazz faculty staffed largely with active professionals from the Detroit area. In 1991 he said:

Bradley James Felt (May 6, 1956 – October 6, 2011) was an American tuba and euphonium player, composer, bandleader and educator. His work extended modern jazz traditions, using tuba and euphonium as lead and featured solo instruments..mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}

Brad Felt was born May 6, 1956, in Royal Oak, Michigan to Charles and Jeanne (nee Vorhes) Felt. He was raised in Bloomfield Township and West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.