CD review: Buddy Collette – The Complete 1961 Milano Sessions 2020: Video, CD cover

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.

CD 1
01. Slavic Mood (Dusko Goykovich) 4:15
02. San Carlo (Buddy Collette) 4:46
03. Pickford Street (Buddy Collette) 4:15
04. Paddi (Buddy Collette) 4:07
05. A Taste of Fresh Air (Buddy Collette) 3:59
06. Blues for Nicola (Buddy Collette) 4:08
07. Everything Happens to Me (Dennis-Adair) 4:34
08. I Forgot (Buddy Collette) 5:27
09. I Wished on the Moon (Rainger-Parker) 4:07
10. Miss Helen (Buddy Collette) 4:51
11. Orfeo Negro (Manha de Carnaval) (Bonfa-Maria) 2:30
12. Mounya Labeli Matatu (Buddy Collette) 5:10
13. Hunt and Peck (Buddy Collette) 6:15
14. Room with Skies (Buddy Collette) 3:52
15. Inverness (Buddy Collette) 4:50
16. Santa Tecla (Buddy Collette) 3:43
17. Buddy Boo (Buddy Collette) 4:21

CD 2
01. One for the Air (Buddy Collette) 3:28
02. Nice Day (Buddy Collette) 3:30
03. My Funny Valentine (Rodgers-Hart) 2:54
04. Skater for Mater (Buddy Collette) 3:25
05. Blues (Buddy Collette) 5:56
06. Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise (Romberg-Hammerstein II) 3:26
07. That’s All (Brandt-Haymes) 5:08
08. Eh! Oh! (Buddy Collette) 2:05
09. The Power of Winds (Buddy Collette) 2:26
10. Jake (Buddy Collette) 4:30
11. Hannie’s Dream (Amadeo Tommasi) 4:04
12. Kelly (Buddy Collette) 3:38
13. Soft Touch (Buddy Collette) 3:55
14. Skylark (Carmichael-Mercer) 4:01
15. Santa Monica (Buddy Collette) 3:21
16. Stella by Starlight (Young-Washington) 4:13
17. It Could Happen to You (Van Heusen-Burke) 4:46
18. Speak Low (Kurt Weill) 1:38
19. Lonely Flute (Buddy Collette) 2:49

Sources CD 1:
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 CD 2:
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 on CD 1

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