Steven L. Isoardi, Interviewer, UCLA Oral History Program. B.A., Government, University of San Francisco; M.A., Government, University of San Francisco; M.A., Political Science, UCLA; Ph.D., Political Science, UCLA.
Place: Collette's home, Los Angeles.
Dates, length of sessions: August 17, 1989 (166 minutes); September 13, 1989 (74); September 20, 1989 (82); September 28, 1989 (139); October 12, 1989 (80); October 19, 1989 (98); November 9, 1989 (107); November 15, 1989 (77); December 8, 1989 (107); January 5, 1990 (94).
Total number of recorded hours: 17
Persons present during interview: Collette and Isoardi.
This interview is one in a series designed to preserve the spoken memories of individuals, primarily musicians, who were raised near and/or performed on Los Angeles's Central Avenue, especially from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s. Musician and teacher William Green, his student Steven Isoardi, and Collette provided major inspiration for the UCLA Oral History Program's inaugurating the Central Avenue Sounds Oral History Project.
In preparing for the interview, Isoardi consulted jazz histories, autobiographies, oral histories, relevant jazz periodicals, documentary films, and back issues of the California Eagle and the Los Angeles Sentinel.
The interview is organized chronologically, beginning with Collette's early years and the Central Avenue jazz scene and moving on through his later career. Major topics covered include prominent Los Angeles jazz musicians, the amalgamation of the black and white locals of the American Federation of Musicians, Collette's own studio work and performances, and the
Alex Cline, editor, edited the interview. He checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Whenever possible, Cline checked the proper names of nightclubs against articles and advertisements in back issues of the California Eagle. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed.
Collette reviewed the transcript. He verified proper names and made minor corrections and additions.
Teresa Barnett, senior editor, prepared the table of contents. David P. Gist, editor, prepared the biographical summary and interview history. Vimala Jayanti, editor, compiled the index.
The original tape recordings of the interview are in the university archives and are available under the regulations governing the use of permanent noncurrent records of the university. Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Oral History Program.