Teddy Edwards

When tenor saxophonist Teddy Edwards (1924-2003), a key man in the Los Angeles’ Central Avenue jazz scene of the 40s, re-emerged in the late 50s after a decade eclipsed by the cool West Coast clique, his phrasing was largely unchanged, but, as these two albums show, his tone had softened.

On the first session of “Love Moods,” his uncluttered septet arrangements aimed to provide a comfortable setting for his protégé Helyne Stewart, a soulful, subtle singer whom Edwards admired from the first time he heard her. On this joyful debut she sings with a really lovely voice, swinging wonderfully on a set of well-known songs, backed by a superb group including trumpeter Jack Sheldon, trombonist Frank Rosolino and altoist Art Pepper—all great horn players who contribute significantly at key points to the success of the album. For the remaining tracks with her, Edwards used his own quartet featuring the thoughtful pianist Phineas Newborn, along with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Milt Turner in a fine rhythm section.

It’s with this quartet, except for pianist Danny Horton, who replaces Newborn on some tracks, that he made “Good Gravy!”, an album of mainly standards. Edwards is in excellent form throughout, bringing a wealth of experience and talent to bear on a well-judged programme.


Tracklisting:

01. Love Is Here to Stay (G. & I. Gershwin) 3:21
02. The Man I Love (G. & I. Gershwin) 3:09
03. How Deep Is the Ocean
(How High Is the Sky) (Berlin) 3:25
04. My Silent Love (Suesse-Heyman) 3:05
05. I Hadn’t Anyone till You (Noble) 3:49
06. My Heart Belongs to Daddy (Porter) 2:05
07. That Old Feeling (Fain-Brown) 3:01
08. This Love of Mine (Parker-Sanicola-Sinatra) 3:48
09. Why Don’t You Do Right (McCoy) 2:56
10. Easy to Love (Porter) 3:34
11. Bésame Mucho (Skylar-Velázquez) 3:23
12. This Can’t Be Love (Rodgers-Hart) 2:12
13. A Little Later (Meeks) 4:10
14. On Green Dolphin Street (Kaper-Washington) 5:20
15. Good Gravy (Edwards) 5:24
16. Could You Forget (Edwards) 5:39
17. A Stairway to the Stars (Parish-Malneck-Signorelli) 4:38
18. Just Friends (Klenner-Lewis) 5:18
19. Laura (Raksin-Mercer) 3:16
20. Yes, I’ll Be Ready (Edwards) 4:00
21. Not So Strange (Edwards) 3:00


Sources:

Tracks #1-12, from the Contemporary album
“Helyne Stewart – Love Moods” (S7601)

Tracks #13-21, from the Contemporary album
“Teddy Edwards Quartet – Good Gravy!” (S7592)


Personnel on “Love Moods” :
Tracks #1-4:
Helyne Stewart, vocals, with the Teddy Edwards Septet
Jack Sheldon (trumpet), Frank Rosolino (trombone), Art Pepper (alto sax), Teddy Edwards (tenor sax, arranger), Pete Jolly (piano), Jimmy Bond (bass), Frank Butler (drums).

Recorded at Contemporary Records, Los Angeles, January 20, 1961

Tracks #5-12:
Helyne Stewart, vocals, with the Teddy Edwards Quartet
Teddy Edwards (tenor sax), Phineas Newborn, Jr. (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Milt Turner (drums).

Contemporary Records, Los Angeles, August 21 & 22, 1961


Personnel on “Good Gravy” :
The Teddy Edwards Quartet
Teddy Edwards (tenor sax), Phineas Newborn, Jr. (piano on #13-14) or Danny Horton (piano on #15-21), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Milt Turner (drums).

Contemporary Records, Los Angeles, August 23-25, 1961