Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Buddy Catlett was born George James Catlett on June 13, 1933 and grew up in Seattle, Washington. During his childhood he listened to records his mother brought home, and learned to play the cornet around age 10 after hearing Louis Armstrong, and by fourteen had saved enough money from his movie theater job to buy a saxophone. He would soon be gigging with his childhood friend Quincy Jones till 5:30 in the morning and then the two would go to Garfield High School a few hours later. It was during this time that he also met and performed with Ray Charles.
He first professional gig was with vibraphonist Bumps Blackwell’s band that included Ernestine Anderson, but by 17 had to stop performing due to tubercular pleurisy that hospitalized him for two years. Not to be beaten, he started taking bass lessons with Tiny Martin of the Seattle Symphony. Learning quickly he was soon asked to join pianist Horace Henderson’s band and on the road he went. This was followed up with a stint with Cal Tjader, a move to New York in 1958, and a European tour with Quincy Jones playing for the musical Free and Easy starring tapper Harold Nicholas.
Throughout his career he performed with Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Louis Armstrong among others. He has appeared on over 100 recordings and is recognizable on the Sinatra/Basie arrangement of Fly Me To The Moon and Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World. With declining health, bassist Buddy Catlett scaled down his jazz performances in his hometown of Seattle but has not lost his popularity or respect from an admiring community. Bassist Buddy Catlett passed away on November 12, 2014, at age 81 at the Leon Sullivan Health Care Center in Seattle’s Central District.
