Buddy Collette

Buddy Collette changed music in more than one way. As a noted reed man, he played jazz along some of the greatest players in history including his boyhood friend, Charlie Mingus. Buddy was instrumental in the birth of the Los Angeles jazz scene. Beginning in the late 1940s, Buddy set out to break the color line within the American musicians’ union, which at the time separated the black performers from the whites within their directories. Thanks to Buddy’s efforts the Los Angeles chapter of the union was among the first to classify all members as equal.

Michelle Mangione’s lifelong passion for music was sparked at home, where her father filled the house with music. A pianist and songwriter, he welcomed fellow musicians to stop by and play, even keeping drum kits set up for impromptu jam sessions with friends—including two priests from the nearby church. When Michelle first sat behind a drum set at age 12, she was immediately captivated and soon began taking lessons. She also learned guitar alongside her sister, and together they performed in retirement homes, where Michelle witnessed firsthand music’s remarkable ability to connec