Fred Arthur Braceful (May 2, 1938 – March 17, 1995) was a jazz drummer.
Braceful was born in Detroit on May 2, 1938.[1] He played in his tenor saxophonist father's band early in his career. He served in the U.S. military in Germany, and then settled in Stuttgart.
In Stuttgart he played with Wolfgang Dauner's trio from 1963, and in Dauner's group Et Cetera until the mid-1970s. Braceful also played with Albert Mangelsdorff, Abdullah Ibrahim, Joki Freund, Hans Koller, Bob Degen, Benny Bailey, Robin Kenyatta, and Manfred Schoof.
He and several Stuttgart jazz musicians formed the ensemble Moira in 1976. Following this Braceful played with and Jay Oliver. After his stint with Oliver in 1982, Braceful quit music for a period of time, then returned to play in Eugen de Ryck's group the Funkomatic Hippies from 1992 until 1995. He worked and recorded with saxophonist Michael Hornstein in the same period. Braceful died in Munich on March 17, 1995.
With Wolfgang Dauner
With Mal Waldron
With Exmagma
With others