Teddy Edwards
Encyclopedia
Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American
jazz
tenor saxophonist based on the West Coast of the US. Some consider him to be one of the most influential jazz saxophonists.
. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone
and then clarinet
. Edwards' first professional job was with The Royal Mississippians with Doc Parmley.
His uncle sent for him to come to Detroit
to live because he felt opportunities were better. Due to illness in the family, he went back to Jackson and ventured to Alexandria, Louisiana
. He was persuaded by Ernie Fields to join his band after going to Tampa, Florida
. Teddy had planned to go to New York
, but Ernie Fields
convinced him he could get there by way of Washington, DC if he worked with his band. Teddy ended up at the Club Alabam on Central Ave. in Los Angeles
, which later became his city of residence.
Teddy Edwards played with many jazz notables, including his personal friend Charlie Parker
, Roy Milton
, Wynonie Harris
, Vince Guaraldi
, Joe Castro
and Ernie Andrews
. A classic 1947 recording with Dexter Gordon
, The Duel
, helped set him up as a legend, a status he liked to maintain by challenging other worthy sax players to similar duels whenever possible, including a recording with Houston Person
. One such memorable duel took place in the 80s at London's 100 Club
with British tenor Dick Morrissey
.
In 1964, Edwards played with Benny Goodman
at Disneyland, and at the 1964 New York World's Fair
.
Edwards played live with and appeared on albums of Tom Waits
. He toured with him on the Heart Attack and Vine tour and played to a packed Victoria Apollo in London with Tom and a bassist. (The drummer had apparently been left behind after some dispute). The 1991 album Mississippi Lad features two tracks with Waits, and Waits covers the Edwards-written ballad "Little Man" on his Orphans
collection.
With King Pleasure
With Joe Castro
With Milt Jackson
With The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor saxophonist based on the West Coast of the US. Some consider him to be one of the most influential jazz saxophonists.
Biography
Edwards was born in Jackson, MississippiJackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and then clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. Edwards' first professional job was with The Royal Mississippians with Doc Parmley.
His uncle sent for him to come to Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
to live because he felt opportunities were better. Due to illness in the family, he went back to Jackson and ventured to Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
. He was persuaded by Ernie Fields to join his band after going to Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. Teddy had planned to go to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, but Ernie Fields
Ernie Fields
Ernie Fields was an African American trombonist, pianist, arranger and bandleader. He first became known for leading the Royal Entertainers, which were based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and toured along a circuit stretching from Kansas City, Kansas, to Dallas, Texas.-Early life and career:Fields was born...
convinced him he could get there by way of Washington, DC if he worked with his band. Teddy ended up at the Club Alabam on Central Ave. in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, which later became his city of residence.
Teddy Edwards played with many jazz notables, including his personal friend Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Roy Milton
Roy Milton
Roy Milton was an American R&B and jump blues singer, drummer and bandleader.-Career:Milton's grandmother was a Chickasaw. He was born in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, United States, and grew up on an Indian reservation before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma...
, Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris , born in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. With fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952, Harris is generally considered one of rock and roll's forerunners, influencing Elvis Presley...
, Vince Guaraldi
Vince Guaraldi
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
, Joe Castro
Joe Castro (musician)
Joe Castro was an American bebop jazz pianist, based primarily on the West Coast of the United States.-Biography:...
and Ernie Andrews
Ernie Andrews
Ernie Andrews is an American jazz, blues, and pop singer. He grew up in Los Angeles, California, and one of his first jobs was with the Harry James orchestra. He went on to be recorded by Columbia Records and others...
. A classic 1947 recording with Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
, The Duel
The Duel (album)
The Duel is a 1947 jazz album by saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Teddy Edwards.-Personnel:*Dexter Gordon – tenor saxophone*Teddy Edwards – tenor saxophone*Jimmy Rowles - piano*Red Callender - bass*Roy Porter - drums...
, helped set him up as a legend, a status he liked to maintain by challenging other worthy sax players to similar duels whenever possible, including a recording with Houston Person
Houston Person
Houston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...
. One such memorable duel took place in the 80s at London's 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
with British tenor Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
.
In 1964, Edwards played with Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
at Disneyland, and at the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
.
Edwards played live with and appeared on albums of Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. He toured with him on the Heart Attack and Vine tour and played to a packed Victoria Apollo in London with Tom and a bassist. (The drummer had apparently been left behind after some dispute). The 1991 album Mississippi Lad features two tracks with Waits, and Waits covers the Edwards-written ballad "Little Man" on his Orphans
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards is a limited edition three CD set by Tom Waits, released by the ANTI- label on November 17, 2006 in Europe and on November 21, 2006 in the United States.The set is a collection of 24 rare and 30 brand new songs...
collection.
As leader
- 1947 The Foremost
- 1948 Central Avenue Breakdown
- 1959 At Falcon's Lair with Joe CastroJoe Castro (musician)Joe Castro was an American bebop jazz pianist, based primarily on the West Coast of the United States.-Biography:...
(MetroJazz RecordsMetroJazz Records-Discography:...
, split LP with Sonny RollinsSonny RollinsTheodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
"At Music Inn") - 1959 Sunset Eyes
- 1959 It's About Time
- 1960 Teddy's Ready
- 1960 Back to Avalon
- 1961: Howard McGhee/Teddy Edwards - Together Again!
- 1961 Good Gravy!
- 1962 Heart and Soul
- 1966 Nothin' But the Truth!
- 1967 It's All Right
- 1974 Feelin's
- 1976 The Inimitable Teddy Edwards (Xanadu RecordsXanadu RecordsXanadu Records was a jazz music record label specializing in bebop throughout the 1970s and 1980s founded by Don Schlitten, recording and issuing recordings by some legendary names in jazz music.-Discography:...
) - 1980 Out of This World
- 1981 Good Gravy [live]
- 1991 Mississippi Lad
- 1992 Blue Saxophone
- 1994 Horn to Horn
- 1997 Midnight Creeper
- 1999 Close Encounters
- 2001 Ladies Man
- 2003 Smooth Sailing
As sideman
With Frank ButlerFrank Butler (musician)
Frank Butler was an American jazz drummer. Butler was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but later moved west and was associated in large part with the West Coast school...
- Wheelin' and Dealin with Joe FarrellJoe FarrellJoseph Carl Firrantello , known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's Return to Forever.-Biography:Farrell was born in Chicago...
and Monty BudwigMonty BudwigMonty Rex Budwig was a West Coast jazz double bassist. He was born in Pender, Nebraska. He began playing bass during high school, continuing in the military band while he was enlisted in the Air Force....
(1978)
With King Pleasure
- Golden Days (Original Jazz ClassicsOriginal Jazz ClassicsOriginal Jazz Classics was started in 1983 as an imprint of Fantasy Records. Under this name facsimiles of original editions of jazz LPs have been reissued on CD and formerly on LP and cassette also. The LPs were originally released on Riverside, Prestige and other labels that had been purchased...
, 1960)
With Joe Castro
Joe Castro (musician)
Joe Castro was an American bebop jazz pianist, based primarily on the West Coast of the United States.-Biography:...
- Groove Funk Soul! by (AtlanticAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, 1958)
With Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
- That's the Way It IsThat's the Way It Is (Milt Jackson album)That's the Way It Is is a live album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded at Shelley's Manne Hole in 1969 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.".-Track listing:...
(Impulse!, 1969)
With The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet
- Walk On! (The Leroy Vinnegar Sextet, 1992)
External links
- Teddy Edwards at The A-1 Artists Agency.
- Interview with Teddy Edwards