Buddy Collette

[Teasing the Korean]

I like the album with Herbie Mann too.

[Chuck Nessa]

chuck thats interesting you only discovered buddy on "little band, big jazz" (crown records, 1960)- didnt u get the chico lps and stuff like that in the 50s?

No. I started buying jazz in 1959 (when I was 15) and that was the first Buddy I encountered.

The lp (stereo - red vinyl) was stolen from my dorm room in the summer of 1962. About 2 months later I saw Conte in Des Moines with the Shelly Manne group and told him of my loss. He told me to meet him at the hotel later and he'd give me a new copy. I waited in the lobby and he came down (with Russ Freeman), sat down, talked a while and gave me another copy (mono, black vinyl). He said Crown gave him a box to spread around as promotion. I had an opportunity to tell him this story about 20 years later in the Jazz Showcase. He was in town for the Chicago Jazz Festival and caught a gig at the Showcase. I spoke to him at the bar between sets. He was sitting the bar with Jaki Byard. He thanked me and said he remembered. Not sure about that. He did buy me a drink.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

thats a great story chuck, that sucks someone jacked it from your room- did u ever get to give him the beat-down?

[Rabshakeh]

A Nice Day is such a great Buddy Collette record. Really beautiful playing and over the last year it has been moving to the front of my personal favourite choices for west coast records.

I think I'd previously had him in my head as the interesting soloist on those early Chico Hamilton records that I don't much care for, but in more natural settings he's just wonderful. 

The above discussions seem fairly muted - I'd be interested to know whether the board has moved in a more Collette friendly direction since these early discussions.

Also, a lot of interesting looking but long defunct links in the thread above. 

Edited January 10, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[JSngry]

https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-jazz-audio-biography-mw0000174992

 

[Rabshakeh]

That looks interesting, particularly as a complement to the Mingus autosexography.

[mjazzg]

Funnily I have tried to find a Colette album I enjoy as much as those Hamilton's he plays on which are absolute favourites. I did enjoy his 'Porgy & Bess'.

I'm listening to 'A Nice Day' now to see how it fits these days

[Teasing the Korean]

The Jazz Heat Bongo Beat master tapes have been digitized as lossless files.  They sound amazing.

[mjazzg]

'A Nice Day' still sounds too pretty to me (I know, I'm sorry) so I'm taking some bongo heat now instead.

[Rabshakeh]

I don't know. To my ears, those early Chicos sound choked by being too "progressive" (in the 50s jazz sense). It's a subjective view that I'm sure is wrong, but I'd have liked them a bit more relaxed and a bit less artificial.

Bongo heat is a good call on a grim Monday afternoon. I'm feeling the London greyness seeping into my bones today.

[mjazzg]

I think it's precisely because they sound as you describe that I like them  There's an element of almost academic rigour to their swinging and that's not meant as a criticism. All really rather serious.

Bongo heat is definitely cutting through the greyness of the weather and work!  I think I may have found my Buddy Collette album.  I keep meaning to check out the one on Black Saint or Soul Note too.

edit to add: just placed an order for 'Jazz Heat Bongo Beat'. I need this album in my life if only for grey Monday therapy

Edited January 10, 2022 by mjazzg

[Larry Kart]

On 7/13/2004 at 9:25 PM, JSngry said:

 

 

 

That's it. An aural autobiography.

 

Buddy Collette was around long before he hit w/Chico's group. He was one of the mainstays of the whole Central Avenue scene, a running buddy (no pun intended) of Mingus back then, and as such, he does have some stories to tell!

There's an excellent latter-day (1990) big band album led by Collette, "Live at El Camino College" (UFO Bass) with a formidable  20-piece lineup of LA veterans (Red Callender, Thurman Green, Bobby Bryant, et al.) Lots of writing by Colette. There another such album on Bridge from 1996 that duplicates part of the El Camino program. I'm sure it's worthwhile too.

[Rabshakeh]

13 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

There's an excellent latter-day (1990) big band album led by Collette, "Live at El Camino College" (UFO Bass) with a formidable  20-piece lineup of LA veterans (Red Callender, Thurman Green, Bobby Bryant, et al.) Lots of writing by Colette. There another such album on Bridge from 1996 that duplicates part of the El Camino program. I'm sure it's worthwhile too.

Thanks. That sounds interesting.