Billboard : 05/13/1957
Score of 70

Collette formerly played with the Chico Hamilton Quintet. This LP is the first by his own quartet. The versatile reed man and his new group score well in modern jazz stylings. The past association with Hamilton may attract some buyers to the Collette name, which may not yet be big enough to sell on its own strength.

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Cashbox : 06/15/1957

The many sided instrumental facets of Buddy Collette come in to play once more in this ABC-Paramount release featuring Collette and 3 other performers. Collette, mastering the tenor or alto plus the flute, joins his crew in 12 breezy, and something frolicsome, arrangements on originals and evergreens (They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Flute in D). Admirable jazz offering.

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Down Beat : 05/30/1957
Ralph J. Gleason : 4 stars

Collette‘s three originals in this LP are bright, swingy things. And his prowess as a soloist overshadows even his writing.

There is a gentleness and strength, in almost ideal combination, in Collette’s tenor playing in which he seems to have evolved a style that does not lean too heavily on any of his precursors.

I continue to find his tenor solos his most interesting work. Although he has consistently recorded excellent clarinet solos, they do not seem to carry through the promise of their early days in Chico Hamilton‘s group.

He plays clarinet like a stronger Jimmy Giuffre, but this is not enough, for me at any rate. On alto there are moments when he is really eloquent; such a one is his solo on Johnny Walks in which he seems to me expressive beyond the ordinary as he logically develops a beautiful line.

The group as a whole is excellent. The rhythm section functions very well as individuals and as a unit. Shreve is a fine pianist in a gentle, reflective manner, and his own composition, If She Had Stayed, is a particularly impressive jazz ballad which Collette plays with warmth and great feeling.

As has been the case with almost every album on which he plays, Collette is the main attraction. Even on flute, an instrument which has definite jazz limitations, he manages to get through with his message of beauty, taste, love and strength.

I continue to be impressed with the high degree of soul, or emotion, displayed in his solos. At a time when there is a definite danger of jazz degenerating into jungle music, Collette is a valuable antidote.

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Liner Notes by Buddy Collette

Dick Shreve – Piano. Age 28. Born in Kansas City, MO, raised in Oklahoma City. Degree in Piano from Oklahoma City University. Interested in arranging and serious compositions. Joined Les Brown in July 1956 til October 1956; lived in L.A. since October 1955, played with Buddy Childers after Les Brown, joined Buddy Collette Nov. 7, 1956.

John Goodman – Bass. Age 25, became interested in Bass in 1947 while attending school in his native L.A. This interest was expanded while in the Air Force. Became interested in writing while in the Air Force. Getting out in 1953, John attended L.A. Conservatory. He has played with Vido Musso, Dexter Gordon and the Jazz Couriers; joined Buddy Collette Sept. 9, 1956.

Bill Dolney – Drums. Age 25, born in Bronx, NY, 1931. In and out of Los Angeles since 1949. In that year worked with the late great Bob Gordon, with Alvino Rey Orch. Went with Jack Montrose Quintet with Art Pepper in July of ’56. Later became Art Pepper Group. Joined Buddy Collette Nov. 14, 1956.

Buddy Collette. Age 35, born in Los Angeles, CA. Started playing piano at the age of 10 yrs. Changed to alto sax at 12 yrs.

I became very serious with music in my last year of High School, and knew it was for me. I took up clarinet about this time and started studying sax, clarinet and piano with a great teacher named Floyd Reese. I owe a lot to him. He taught me chords, progressions, scales, harmony, etc. Before I went to Floyd, I was just playing what I heard. I would listen for the chord and then play it. I soon found out this wouldn’t work all the time, because there were many piano players that didn’t know the tunes either. After studying with Floyd Reese for two years I began to really understand what to do. In 1942 I enlisted in the U.S.N.R. and made first class musician in the Navy band. Later, I was put in charge of a military and dance band. We needed music for our dance band, so I began to write short arrangements and counter melodies to some of the tunes that I knew. This was the beginning of my composing and arranging.

After getting out of the Service in 1946, I helped organize an all-star group with such artists as Charles Mingus – Bass; Lucky Thompson – Tenor; Britt Woodman – Trombone; Spauldin Givens – Piano, and Oscar Bradley – Drums. The group was terrific. We had six writers out of seven guys and this really made each guy work hard to bring in something good. After the group broke up, I started studying at Los Angeles Conservatory, then later I studied at California Academy of Music, and the American Operatic Laboratory. I started playing Flute while at Los Angeles Conservatory and later studied with Martin Ruderman and Henry Woempner. I studied Sax with Merle Johnston, Clarinet with Soccorso Pirolo, and the Shillinger System of Musical Composition with Franklyn Marks. I met Jerry Fielding in 1950. He hired me for the Groucho Marx show. I’m very grateful to Jerry; without him I don’t know what would have happened. Jerry’s a terrific musician. I made recordings with Jerry Fielding, Red Norvo, Gerald Wilson, Red Callender, Spud Murphy, Chico Hamilton. I left Chico to form my own group. I have a quartet that’s been together for 3 months. The group started at the Haig in Los Angeles, the birthplace of many small bands. We had Don Freedman, piano, and Larry Bunker, drums; John Goodman, bass. Now we have Dick Shreve on piano and Bill Dolney, drums. John Goodman is still on Bass. The group is just great. We enjoy rehearsing and working out ideas together.

Dick Shreve is a wonderful writer and a great player. Although he’s not too well known, you’ll be hearing many outstanding things now and in the future from this great young pianist.

John Goodman. John Improves every time you hear him. His ideas are just great. He hasn’t been writing very long, but he seems to know what to write and he has a wonderful sense of time and rhythm pattern.

Bill Dolney. A real good drummer with good tastes, good time. He listens and blends with the group very well. He loves fast tempos.

I think of the quartet as one section. When I play Flute, I think of some Chamber Group or Woodwind Group. With tenor or alto, I still try to blend my rhythm section as though they were other horns. In this way we get a lot of variety for a quartet. We enjoyed making this album for ABC-Paramount very much because of the freedom we had.