VAN NUYS : Jazz Musicians Pass the Torch to Young Fans

Growing up in Los Angeles, Buddy Collette met some of the legends in jazz. It changed his life forever.

“I realized if they could do it, I could do it,” said Collette, 73.

He did it. He performed with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Dexter Gordon, and has been a central figure in the jazz scene for decades. He was the first black musician to play in a television studio orchestra.

And now he’s the one passing his passion on to the next generation.

Collette, along with other musicians, performed two concerts at Fulton Middle School in Van Nuys on Tuesday as part of an education outreach program called “JazzAmerica,” which seeks to develop jazz appreciation among students. The concerts are sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

“They have to see us in person,” Collette said. “TV and movies aren’t going to do it. Records aren’t going to do it. On a record, you don’t know if it’s been done by a machine. You have to see the people playing the music. You have to see the instruments.”

He has a tough job. Only a few students in the assembly raised their hands when Collette asked how many had heard of the legendary Duke Ellington.

Collette, who performed three Ellington tunes, was not surprised.

“Someone has made a big mistake by keeping jazz away from the youngsters,” said Collette, who played the flute, clarinet and saxophone for the students. “It’s a very healthy and happy music, and it will grow if kids get the exposure.”

He may be right. Though many students didn’t recognize the Ellington name, they dug his music. They cheered throughout the concert.

“It catches your mind in ways you wouldn’t imagine,” said Diane Cervantes, 15. “It’s very relaxing.”

It can also be a ticket to another life. Bobby Rodriguez, who played trumpet for the group Tuesday, told students how the instrument served as his “passport to see the world.”

That can be a very important lesson for junior high school students, said Assistant Principal Lessie Caballero.

Many students aren’t “exposed to different kinds of people,” Caballero said. “It lets them know there is something else out there.”