Buddy Collette – The Complete 1961 Milano Sessions – 2CD

In March 1961, Buddy Collette came to Italy to play at the 6th Sanremo Jazz Festival. His presence aroused much interest among Italian fans and promoters, and after the festival followed several concerts in Milan and Florence.

Buddy’s first stay in Europe is, fortunately, well-documented by his frequent visits to the recording studios in Milan. Ten sessions made between March 10 and March 25, 1961, present him in a number of different settings, featuring some of the pillars of the Italian jazz scene of the sixties, such as Gianni Basso, Oscar Valdambrini, Renato Sellani, Amadeo Tommasi, Sergio Fanni, as well as other well-known jazzmen, including Serbian Dusco Gojkovic, Belgian Jacques Pelzer, and Americans George Joyner and Jimmy Pratt.

These sessions resulted in three albums, initially released in Italy by the labels Music and Ricordi. The unissued tracks here were recorded in two sessions from March 23 and 25, organised by Collette’s friend George Moran, and except for Kelly and Jake, which appeared on two Ampex 8-track stereo cartridges, this is the first time they have been released.

Track Listing:

CD1:
1. Slavic Mood - 4:15   2. San Carlo - 4:46   3. Pickford Street - 4:15   4. Paddi - 4:07   5. A Taste of Fresh Air - 3:59   6. Blues for Nicola - 4:08   7. Everything Happens to Me - 4:34   8. I Forgot - 5:27   9. I Wished on the Moon - 4:07   10. Miss Helen - 4:51   11. Orfeo Negro (Manha de Carnaval) - 2:30   12. Mounya Labeli Matatu - 5:10   13. Hunt and Peck - 6:15   14. Room with Skies - 3:52   15. Inverness - 4:50   16. Santa Tecla - 3:43   17. Buddy Boo - 4:21

CD2:
1. One for the Air - 3:28   2. Nice Day - 3:30   3. My Funny Valentine - 2:54   4. Skater for Mater - 3:25   5. Blues - 5:56   6. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise - 3:26   7. That’s All - 5:08   8. Eh! Oh! - 2:05   9. The Power of Winds - 2:26   10. Jake - 4:30   11. Hannie’s Dream - 4:04   12. Kelly - 3:38   13. Soft Touch - 3:55   14. Skylark - 4:01   15. Santa Monica - 3:21   16. Stella by Starlight - 4:13   17. It Could Happen to You - 4:46   18. Speak Low - 1:38   19. Lonely Flute - 2:49

Sources CD1:
Tracks #1, 2, 7 & 8, from LP Music 2095
Tracks #3 to 6, 11 & 12, from LP Music 2091
Tracks #9 & 10, from Music session, but not issued on LP
Tracks # 13-17, from LP Ricordi MRJ 8001

Sources CD2:
Tracks #1-3, from LP Ricordi MRJ 8001
Tracks #4 & 5, from LP Music 2091
Tracks #6-9, from Music session, but not issued on LP
Tracks #13-16, from LP Music 2095
Tracks #10-12 & #17-19 of CD-2 from George Moran’s sessions, but not issued on LP

Personnel:

Personnel on CD1:
Tracks #1-7: Dusko Goykovich, trumpet; Buddy Collette, flute, clarinet & alto sax; Renato Sellani, piano; Franco Cerri, bass (#1-4) & guitar (#5-7); George Joyner, bass (#5-7); Jimmy Pratt, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 10, 1961
Tracks #8-10: Buddy Collette, clarinet & alto sax; Gianni Basso, tenor sax & clarinet; Renato Sellani, piano; Franco Cerri, guitar; George Joyner, bass; Jimmy Pratt, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 14, 1961
Tracks #11-12: Buddy Collette, flute; Dino Piana, trombone; Renato Sellani, piano; Franco Cerri, bass; Jimmy Pratt, drums; Norman Shobey, conga; Armshed Shobey, bongos.
Recorded in Milano, March 15, 1961
Tracks #13-15: Oscar Valdambrini, trumpet; Buddy Collette, flute, clarinet & alto sax; Gianni Basso, tenor sax & clarinet; Renato Sellani, piano; Giorgio Azzolini, bass; Gianni Cazzola, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 16, 1961
Tracks #16-17: Same personnel as above.
Recorded in Milano, March 17, 1961

Personnel on CD 2:
Tracks #1-3: Oscar Valdambrini, trumpet; Buddy Collette, flute & clarinet; Gianni Basso, tenor sax & clarinet; Renato Sellani, piano; Giorgio Azzolini, bass; Gianni Cazzola, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 18, 1961
Tracks #4-9: Buddy Collette, flute, clarinet & alto sax; Gianni Basso, tenor sax & clarinet; Renato Sellani, piano; George Joyner, bass; Jimmy Pratt, drums; Norman Shobey, conga (#8 & 9).
Recorded in Milano, March 20, 1961
Tracks #10-12: Sergio Fanni, trumpet (#10 & 12); Buddy Collette, Jacques Pelzer, flutes; Amadeo Tommasi, piano; George Joyner (#10 & 12), Giovanni Tommaso (#11) bass; Buster Smith, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 23, 1961
Tracks #13-16: Buddy Collette, flute; Franco Cerri, guitar; George Joyner, bass; Jimmy Pratt, drums; plus string quartet: Franco Fantini (1st violin); Tino Bacchetta (2nd violin); Marcello Turio (viola); Genunzio Ghetti (cello); Ezio Leoni, arranger (#13 & 16); Giulio Libano, arranger (#14 & 15).
Recorded in Milano, March 24, 1961
Tracks #17-19: Buddy Collette, flute & clarinet; Jacques Pelzer, flute (#18); Renato Sellani, piano; George Joyner, bass; Buster Smith, drums.
Recorded in Milano, March 25, 1961