Teddy Edwards
{{Short description|American jazz saxophonist (1924–2003)}}
{{distinguish|text=the American singer and songwriter, Teddy Edwards (recording artist)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Teddy Edwards
| image = Teddy Edwards.jpg
| caption = Edwards at Koncepts Kultural Gallery, Oakland, California, 1980s
| birth_name = Theodore Marcus Edwards
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|4|26}}
| birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|4|20|1924|4|26}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| genre = Jazz
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Tenor saxophone
| years_active = 1947–2001
}}
Theodore Marcus "Teddy" Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States.{{cite book|title=The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-580-8|pages=129/130}} He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and then clarinet.
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. Edwards had planned to go to New York City, but Fields convinced him he could get there by way of Washington, D.C., if he worked with his band. Edwards ended up at the "Club Alabam" on Central Avenue in Los Angeles, which later became his city of residence.
Edwards played with many jazz musicians, including his personal friend Charlie Parker, Roy Milton, Wynonie Harris, Vince Guaraldi, Joe Castro and Ernie Andrews. A 1947 recording with Dexter Gordon, The Duel, was an early challenge to another saxophonist, an approach he maintained whenever possible, including a recording with Houston Person. One such duel took place in the 1980s at London's 100 Club with British tenor Dick Morrissey.{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2003 |title=Teddy Edwards |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1428531/Teddy-Edwards.html |url-access=subscription |website=The Telegraph}} In 1964, Edwards played with Benny Goodman at Disneyland, and at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
Edwards performed and recorded with Tom Waits. He toured with him on the Heart Attack and Vine tour, and played to a packed Victoria Apollo in London with Waits and bassist Greg Cohen (the drummer had apparently been left behind after some dispute). The 1991 album, Mississippi Lad, featured two tracks with Waits, and Waits covers the Edwards-written ballad "Little Man" on his Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards collection.
He died in Los Angeles of prostate cancer, with which he had been diagnosed in 1994, at the age of 78.{{Cite web |last=Keepnews |first=Peter |date=April 23, 2003 |title=Teddy Edwards, 78, Deft Star Of Los Angeles Jazz Scene |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/23/arts/teddy-edwards-78-deft-star-of-los-angeles-jazz-scene.html |accessdate=July 26, 2021 |website=The New York Times}}{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sXrGCwAAQBAJ&q=Teddy+Edwards | title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture| isbn=9780786452088| date=2008-10-24| publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers}}
Discography
=As leader/co-leader=
class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title !Label !Notes |
1947
|The Foremost! | rowspan="3" |Onyx |With Dexter Gordon. Shared various artists LP with Leo Parker and Wardell Gray. |
1948
|Central Avenue Breakdown, Vol. 1 |Shared various artists LP with Vivien Garry/Arv Garrison and Dodo Marmarosa |
1949
|Central Avenue Breakdown, Vol. 2 |Shared various artists LP with Barney Kessel and Slim Gaillard |
1958
|Sonny Rollins at Music Inn/Teddy Edwards at Falcon's Lair |With Joe Castro. Split album featuring Sonny Rollins tracks. |
1959
|With Les McCann |
rowspan="3" |1960
|Pacific Jazz; reissued on Blue Note | |
Teddy's Ready!
| rowspan="5" |Contemporary | |
Back to Avalon
| |
rowspan="2" |1961
|With Howard McGhee |
Good Gravy!
| |
1962
| |
1966
| rowspan="2" |Prestige | |
1967
| |
1974
|Muse | |
1976
| |
rowspan="2" |1979
| rowspan="2" |Storyville | rowspan="2" |With McGhee |
Wise in Time |
1980
| |
1981
|Live |
1991
| rowspan="4" |Verve/Gitanes |Featuring Tom Waits |
1993
| |
1994
| |
1995
| |
1996
|Muse |With Houston Person |
1997
| rowspan="2" |HighNote | |
rowspan="2" |1999
|With Person |
Sunset Eyes 2000
|Laroo |With Saskia Laroo |
rowspan="2" |2000
|HighNote | |
The Legend of Teddy Edwards
|Cope |Soundtrack |
2003
|HighNote | |
=As sideman=
With Frank Butler
- Wheelin' and Dealin' (Xanadu, 1978)
With Joe Castro
- Groove Funk Soul (Atlantic, 1960)
With Sonny Criss
- Sonny's Dream (Birth of the New Cool) (Prestige, 1968)
- Get Up & Get It! – includes Pat Martino on guitar (Prestige, 1967)
- Welcome Home (World Pacific, 1968)
With Milt Jackson
- That's the Way It Is (Impulse!, 1969)
- Just the Way It Had to Be (Impulse!, 1969)
- Memphis Jackson (Impulse!, 1969)
With King Pleasure
- Golden Days (HiFi Jazz, 1960; reissued on Original Jazz Classics)
With Hank Jones
- Ain't Misbehavin' (Galaxy, 1978)
With Julie London
- Feeling Good (Liberty, 1965)
With Shelly Manne
- My Son the Jazz Drummer! (Contemporary, 1962)
With Les McCann
- Les McCann Sings (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
- McCann/Wilson (Pacific Jazz, 1964) with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra
With Howard McGhee
- West Coast 1945-1947 (Uptown, 2014)
With Freddie Redd
- Everybody Loves a Winner (Milestone, 1990)
With Max Roach and Clifford Brown
- Max Roach and Clifford Brown In Concert (Gene Norman Presents, 1954; reissued on GNP Crescendo)
With Jimmy Smith
With Leroy Vinnegar
- Leroy Walks! – includes Gerald Wilson on trumpet (Contemporary, 1958)
- Leroy Walks Again!! (Contemporary, 1963)
With Randy Weston and Melba Liston
- Volcano Blues (Verve, 1993)
With Gerald Wilson
- You Better Believe It! (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
- Moment of Truth (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
- Portraits (Pacific Jazz, 1964)
- On Stage (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
- Feelin' Kinda Blues (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
- The Golden Sword (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160911005921/http://a1artists.net/artists/teddyedwards/ Teddy Edwards] at the A-1 Artists Agency
- [http://www.artistinterviews.eu/?page_id=7&parent_id=22/ Interview with Teddy Edwards]
{{Teddy Edwards}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Teddy}}
Category:American jazz tenor saxophonists
Category:American male saxophonists
Category:Cool jazz saxophonists
Category:West Coast jazz saxophonists
Category:Hard bop saxophonists
Category:Musicians from Jackson, Mississippi
Category:Xanadu Records artists
Category:HighNote Records artists
Category:Blue Note Records artists
Category:Antilles Records artists
Category:Timeless Records artists
Category:SteepleChase Records artists
Category:Contemporary Records artists
Category:20th-century American saxophonists
Category:Jazz musicians from Mississippi