Buddy Collette
b. William Marcel Collete, 6 August 1921, Los Angeles, California, USA. A masterly player on any of his many instruments, Collette worked mostly in and around his home town until World War II. During his military service he directed a dance band and later played with many leading jazzmen including Eli ‘Lucky’ Thompson, Edgar Hayes, Benny Carter and Gerald Wilson. By the '50s Collette was working extensively in film, television and radio studios where his musical expertise gained him a great reputation. In 1955 he became a member of the Chico Hamilton Quintet where his flute-playing helped give the group its distinctive sound and win its brief moments of popular success. During the '60s Collette turned more and more to writing, especially for films, but found time to work with Thelonious Monk and Stan Kenton. In the '70s he continued the pattern much as before, interspersing writing chores with performances using such musicians as Benny Carter.