Teddy Edwards
American jazz saxophonist (1924–2003)
title: "Teddy Edwards" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1924-births", "2003-deaths", "american-jazz-tenor-saxophonists", "american-male-saxophonists", "cool-jazz-saxophonists", "west-coast-jazz-saxophonists", "hard-bop-saxophonists", "bebop-saxophonists", "musicians-from-jackson,-mississippi", "xanadu-records-artists", "muse-records-artists", "highnote-records-artists", "blue-note-records-artists", "antilles-records-artists", "timeless-records-artists", "steeplechase-records-artists", "contemporary-records-artists", "20th-century-american-saxophonists", "jazz-musicians-from-mississippi", "20th-century-american-male-musicians", "american-male-jazz-musicians"] description: "American jazz saxophonist (1924–2003)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Edwards" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American jazz saxophonist (1924–2003) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Teddy Edwards |
| image | Teddy Edwards.jpg |
| caption | Edwards at Koncepts Kultural Gallery, Oakland, California, 1980s |
| birth_name | Theodore Marcus Edwards |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| genre | Jazz |
| occupation | Musician |
| instrument | Tenor saxophone |
| years_active | 1947–2001 |
| :: |
| name = Teddy Edwards | image = Teddy Edwards.jpg | caption = Edwards at Koncepts Kultural Gallery, Oakland, California, 1980s | birth_name = Theodore Marcus Edwards | birth_date = | birth_place = Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | genre = Jazz | occupation = Musician | instrument = Tenor saxophone | years_active = 1947–2001
Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Biography
Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. 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. 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.
In 2003, Edwards died at the age of 78 in Los Angeles of prostate cancer, with which he had been diagnosed in 1994.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
::data[format=table title=""]
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) With Richard "Groove" Holmes
- 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
- Bluesmith (Verve, 1972) 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
References
- (1992). "[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music". [[Guinness Publishing]].
- (April 27, 2003). "Teddy Edwards".
- Keepnews, Peter. (April 23, 2003). "Teddy Edwards, 78, Deft Star Of Los Angeles Jazz Scene".
- (2008-10-24). "Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture". McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::