William Marcel "Buddy" Collette, was an African American jazz flautist, saxophonist, and clarinetist. In 1955, Buddy Collette became a founding member of the unusually instrumented chamber jazz quintet. The group gained national prominence and became one of the most influential West Coast jazz bands, synonymous with the laid back “cool jazz” of the 1950s. Langston Hughes standing at a podium and microphone reads his poetry on a stage accompanied by Buddy Collette's orchestra. A stage curtain with a design based on triangles is visible behind them. Langston Hughes, (James Mercer Langston Hughes), was an African American poet, novelist, and political commentator who was an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He made the African American experience the subject of his writings. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. He famously wrote about the period that "the negro was in vogue," which was later paraphrased as "when Harlem was in vogue." Written on back of photo: Langston Hughes Reading his poetry accompanied by Buddy Collette's Orchestra. Nov '58. Harry Adams photo.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b21_f10_005a.tif ark:/21198/z1nc7jcs
Subject
African American poets African American authors African American jazz musicians Cool jazz African American dramatists Collette, Buddy, 1921-2010 Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967
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