Buddy Collette

Buddy Collette stood out as a vital presence within the jazz circles of Los Angeles and ranked among the earliest players to adapt jazz phrasing to the flute. His musical path began with childhood study of piano, after which he methodically acquired command of every woodwind instrument. In 1942 he performed alongside Les Hite, later directing a dance orchestra during his Navy service in World War II; once discharged, he worked as a freelance musician across the L.A. scene, appearing with the Stars of Swing in 1946 and later with the groups of Edgar Hayes, Louis Jordan, Benny Carter, and Gerald Wilson in 1949 and 1950. As an early instructor to Charles Mingus, Collette secured a historic milestone by becoming the first Black musician to hold a steady position in a West Coast studio orchestra, a role he maintained from 1951 through 1955. His widest acclaim arrived through his key contributions to the Chico Hamilton Quintet during 1955 and 1956, followed by several albums released under his own name on the Contemporary label in the mid- and late 1950s. For the remainder of his career he remained anchored in the Los Angeles region, balancing studio sessions, club dates, freelance engagements, classroom teaching, and mentorship of emerging players. Although he handled tenor saxophone with skill and performed capably on clarinet, the flute remained his most personal medium; in 1989 he documented that affinity on a recording with one of his former pupils, the acclaimed James Newton. Collette also took part in a later reunion of the Chico Hamilton Quintet and, in 1994, issued a two-disc talking record on the Issues label that recounted many of the scenes and encounters he had witnessed across the decades.