Buddy Collette And Teddy Edwards - The Crown Sessions

Buddy Collette (1921-2010) and Teddy Edwards (1924-2003) were two prominent, individual jazz musicians whose beginnings were firmly rooted in the Los Angeles Central Avenue jazz and rhythm and blues scene of the 1940s.

Buddy, born in Los Angeles, gained recognition in 1946 as an alto saxophone and clarinet player, performing alongside musicians like Lucky Thompson and Charlie Mingus. In 1950, he became the first Black musician to work in Los Angeles film and TV studios, further establishing his reputation in jazz through his versatility as a woodwind player. His collaborations with the Chico Hamilton Quintet and his own albums as a leader showcased his talents as a composer and thoughtful jazz musician.

Teddy, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, was credited with recording the first bop solo on tenor saxophone in 1946 on "Up in Dodo's Room" with Howard McGhee's sextet. He was an early associate of jazz greats like Dexter Gordon, Sonny Criss, Art Pepper, Max Roach, and Clifford Brown. Known for his charging, up-tempo, bluesy style, Edwards was equally adept at producing a sweet, burnished tone from the tenor sax, making him a significant influence on other tenor saxophonists like Harold Land and Sonny Rollins.

Throughout their extensive careers, both musicians remained deeply connected to Los Angeles as their home base and source of inspiration.

In the tracks included on this CD, recorded between 1959 and 1960, we hear Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards in two rare quartet sessions, navigating through a set of blues and originals. The uniqueness of these recordings lies in the fact that they were originally scattered across several Crown label albums, without any personnel or composer information, often indiscriminately attributed to different jazz artists, with the musicians not always properly credited. Here, for the first time, they are grouped together in a single collection. *Jordi Pujol*

1 - What's Up?

2 - Hideaway

3 - Reunion

4 - Joggin'

5 - Evergreen

6 - Bye Bye

7 - The Groove

8 - Lucky Me

9 - Miss Beat

10 - I'll Get Away

11 - The Grind, Part 1

12 - The Grind, Part 2

13 - Across Town

#1 to #8:

Buddy Collette (tenor sax), Gerald Wiggins (piano),

Joe Comfort (bass), Bill Douglass (drums).

#1, #2, #3: from Way Out Wardell (Crown CLP-5278)

#4 : from Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker/Chico Hamilton/Buddy Collette/Gerald Wiggins (Crown CLP-5289)

#5, #6, #7, #8: from Groovin’ High (Crown CLP-5284)

#9 to 13:

Teddy Edwards (tenor sax), Joe Castro (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Billy Higgins (drums).

#9, #10 from: Sonny Criss/Gerald Wiggins/Erroll Garner/Stan Getz (Crown CLP-5292) 

#11, #12, #13: from Erroll Garner/Wardell Gray/ Barney Kessel/Gerald Wiggins Crown (CLP-5293)

Recorded at Modern Records Studio, Hollywood, between 1959 and 1960.