Buddy Collette facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buddy Collette
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Buddy Collette in 1985
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Marcel Collette |
| Born | August 6, 1921 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 2010 (aged 89) Los Angeles |
| Genres | Jazz, West Coast jazz, cool jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator |
| Instruments | Flute, saxophone, clarinet |
| Labels | Contemporary, Challenge, Mode, EmArcy |
| Associated acts | Chico Hamilton |
William Marcel "Buddy" Collette (born August 6, 1921 – died September 19, 2010) was an American jazz musician. He was amazing at playing the flute, saxophone, and clarinet. Buddy was also one of the first members of the famous Chico Hamilton Quintet.
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Buddy Collette's Early Life
William Marcel Collette was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 6, 1921. He grew up in a neighborhood called Watts. This area was a "melting pot" where people from many different backgrounds lived together. Buddy's family didn't have a lot of money. However, growing up in Watts helped him understand his place as a Black man in the world.
Buddy started playing piano when he was ten years old. His parents loved music, and this helped him love it too. In middle school, he began playing the saxophone. He even formed his first band that same year! They played at local parties for a small fee. Later, Buddy started another band that included his good friend, Charles Mingus, who became a famous bass player.
Buddy had many musicians to look up to as a kid. The Woodman brothers were older musicians who inspired him. When Buddy was fifteen, he joined their band. He said they helped create the unique jazz sound of Watts.
Buddy's Music Career
As a teenager, Buddy traveled to Los Angeles to meet other musicians. He joined a winning band that paid him well. Later, his friend Charles Mingus also joined this band.
When he was 19, Buddy took music lessons from Lloyd Reese. Reese taught many future jazz stars, including Buddy. He helped them learn how to succeed in the music world.
During World War II, Buddy served in the U.S. Navy. He was part of an all-Black Navy band. Buddy led one of the dance bands called the Topflighters. They played at places like the Stage Door Canteen, which entertained soldiers. Buddy even helped a famous Dixieland jazz musician, Willie Humphrey, join his band. After the Navy, Buddy played with many well-known musicians like Louis Jordan and Benny Carter.
In 1949, Buddy made history. He was the first Black musician hired for a nationally broadcast TV studio orchestra. This was for the show You Bet Your Life, hosted by Groucho Marx. This was a big step forward for Black musicians. It showed that more opportunities were opening up for them in the 1950s.
Buddy also worked as a studio musician. This meant he played music for recordings with huge stars. He played with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Nat King Cole.
In 1955, Buddy helped start the Chico Hamilton Quintet. This group played a unique style called "chamber jazz." Buddy played flute, saxophone, and clarinet in the quintet. He also taught music to many students, including Eric Dolphy and Charles Lloyd.
Working with Other Musicians
Buddy Collette was very popular for collaborations in the late 1940s. He played alto saxophone with many artists like Johnny Otis and Ernie Andrews. His friendship with Charles Mingus was very important. They formed their first band in 1933. Buddy even convinced Mingus to switch from playing cello to bass! Their musical connection grew into a lifelong friendship.
Buddy also worked with Benny Carter and the Community Symphony Orchestra in Los Angeles. He was a music director for the jazz band program at Loyola Marymount University.
Helping Music Unions Merge
In the early 1900s, Los Angeles had two separate music unions. Local 47 was for white musicians, and Local 767 was for Black musicians. Buddy Collette and other Black musicians worked hard to combine these two unions. They wanted one union where everyone was treated equally, no matter their race.
They started an interracial (mixed-race) symphony orchestra. Famous musicians like Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra supported this group. Their success helped the two separate unions merge in 1953. Buddy called this a great "amalgamation." This merger gave Black musicians more job opportunities and better benefits. It was a huge step for racial equality in music. This success inspired other cities to combine their segregated unions too.
The Chico Hamilton Quintet
In 1955, Buddy Collette became a founding member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet. This group was special because it included a cellist, Fred Katz. Buddy said Katz was "the first jazz cello player." The quintet became very famous and helped define "cool jazz" in the 1950s. Buddy played many different instruments in the group, including tenor and alto saxophones, flute, and clarinet.
The group even appeared in a movie called "Sweet Smell of Success" in 1957. They also performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, which was shown in a documentary called "Jazz on a Summer’s Day". Later, in 1996, Buddy brought together some old bandmates, including Chico Hamilton, for a special concert.
Legacy and Influence
Buddy Collette passed away in Los Angeles at 89 years old due to heart failure.
Buddy's career was not just about playing music. He spent a lot of time teaching and guiding younger musicians. He helped many artists, like Eric Dolphy and Frank Morgan, become professional musicians.
Buddy taught in Watts and later traveled across the country. He gave seminars and music clinics at universities. He also held important teaching jobs at several California State Universities. The city of Los Angeles named him a "Living Cultural Treasure." In the early 2000s, he helped create JazzAmerica. This group teaches jazz to talented teenagers.
Buddy Collette's work helped change many lives. His efforts to merge the music unions opened doors for countless musicians. He also hosted jam sessions and organized a multi-racial orchestra. He received awards for his contributions, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. His legacy continues through JazzAmerica, which offers free jazz education to middle and high school students in Los Angeles.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
- Tanganyika (1956)
- Man of Many Parts (1956)
- Cool, Calm & Collette (1957)
- Everybody's Buddy (1957)
- Porgy & Bess (1957)
- Nice Day with Buddy Collette (1957)
- Flute Fraternity (1957) with Herbie Mann
- Aloha to Jazz (1957)
- Jazz Loves Paris (1958)
- Marx Makes Broadway (1958)
- Buddy Collette's Swinging Shepherds (1958)
- Buddy Collette Septet – Polynesia (1959)
- At the Cinema! (1959)
- The Polyhedric Buddy Collette (1961)
- Buddy Collette in Italia (1961)
- The Soft Touch of Buddy Collette (1962)
- The Buddy Collette Quintet (1962) with Irene Kral
- The Girl from Ipenema (1964)
- Warm Winds (1964) with Charles Kynard
- Buddy Collette on Broadway (1966)
- Now and Then (1973)
- Block Buster (1974)
- Flute Talk (1988)
- Jazz for Thousand Oaks (1996)
- Live from the Nation's Capital (2000)
- Tasty Dish (2004)
- Live at El Camino College (2006)
As sideman (played with)
Buddy Collette played with many other famous musicians. Some of them include:
- Chet Baker
- James Brown
- Benny Carter
- Nat King Cole
- Miles Davis
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Chico Hamilton
- Quincy Jones
- Barney Kessel
- Charles Mingus
- Frank Sinatra
- Mel Tormé
- Nancy Wilson
Images for kids
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Buddy Collette in 1985
See also
In Spanish: Buddy Collette para niños
