When you cross bridges, combine schools, intertwine the swinging with the cool, you could not choose two better ingredients than Red Norvo and Buddy Collette for the purpose. Red's great vibe work has been one of jazz's standout commodities for years, whether rocking some small group of his own or backstopping a great vocalist such as the late, great Mildred Bailey. Red's soft tasty beat with the right ideas in lust the right places has given his work that individual stamp which defies eras and fads. Red is certainly one of the "jazz greats" of the music world. Watching him in a session, leading the way with his own ideas, one readily comprehends Red's mastery of his instrument. For Red to come through with continuously brilliant performances have become commonplace. lt is only natural that an artist with the conception of Norvo should reach out and attract artists of equal stature. Such is the case of "The Man of Many Parts," Buddy Collette. This master of the reed family, is a new artist only in the sense of being discovered but lately by the jazz aficionados. Buddy has long been one of the stalwarts of the West Coast scene. Not only has he shown to advantage with various jazz groups but being a full, well-schooled musician, he has been sought after for the more mundane vocations of the studio orchestra chair and serious musical projects. However, it is in jazz, obviously Buddy's first love, that he has risen to giant proportions. In Ad Lib, Buddy's and Red's talents blend so beautifully that we are forced to re-evaluate some earlier conceptions of the cool scene. Here, at least, it is not all technique and a nose tilted haughtily at the solid beat. Here, at least — Red, Buddy, and their cohorts manage to interject a feeling of warmth and swinging, listenable, understandable and over-all projection of a wonderful mood in iazz. Ad Lib showcases Buddy Collette's new discovery. His name's Dick Shreve and his fresh and scintillating pianistic slyle stamps him as a sure-fire bet to join his illustrious compatriot in the Jazz Hall of Fame.
(From the original Liner Notes)
Red Norvo
feat. Buddy Collette
Ad Lib
Tracks
1 What is There To Say (Duke, Harburg) 3:49
2 Shreve-Port (Shreve) 4:19
3 96th Street School (Collette) 4:09
4 Fifth Column (Shreve) 4:35
5 The Brushoff (Collette) 2:46
6 I Cover The Waterfront (Green, Heyman) 4:20
7 A Few Days After Xmas (Collette) 4:04
8 Mad About the Boy (Coward) 4:51
9 Tar Pit Blues (Shreve) 7:33
*
Personnel
Buddy Collette - fl & ts
Red Norvo - vb
Dick Shreve - p
Curtis Counce or Joe Comfort - b
Bill Douglass - dr
Recorded in Hollywood, California ; December 19 & 27, 1956 & January 4, 1957