SwingJournal #1

Teddy Edwards is one of the first tenor saxophone players who started playing Charlie Parker's bebop phrases and compositions. The same idea might have already been popular among alto saxophonists such as Jackie McLean, Sonny Stitt, and Lou Donaldson, but one could say that Teddy Edwards is responsible for many non alto sax instrumentalists playing Charlie Parker's compositions. Many people give similar credit to Dexter Gordon, however I assume Dexter received many interesting ideas from Teddy Edwards when they were playing together in Los Angeles.

Blues in G : Many Southern Californian jazz lovers had opportunities to see Teddy Edwards in his late years. If they only knew Teddys' 1980s - 2000s performance, they might assume that Teddy was one of those cats who was deeply involved in the R&B field such as Stanley Turrentine. However his performance proves that he was heavily involved in the bebop field with a strong blues flavor. it reminds me of Johnny Griffin in the same era (1960s).

Scrapple from the Apple: This is a well known Charlie Parker bebop composition. The drummer, Billy Higgins laid out on the opening/closing melodies and the first chorus of each soloist including Teddy Edward, Joe Castro and Leroy Vinnegar. As soon as Billy Higgins joined, the swing feel reached it's peak and the tension of a drumless ensemble loosened up. It is rare to find a drummer like Billy who could play up tempo so musically. Billy Higgins knew what his roll was and the road map of this composition was very clear. In addition to Billy Higgins' drumming, the end of this composition was very uniquely arranged by Teddy Edwards. Many jazz artists have tendencies to focus on improvisation on these bebop tunes, but Teddy Edwards Quintet focused on more ensemble sounds on this Scrapple from the Apple.

What's New:

Audio File

Download Sheet Music for Teddy Edwards' What's New

Solo Guitar Arrangement/Performance by Hideaki Tokunaga

You Name It: This is a Teddy Edwards' original composition. The form is AABA plus interlude. The A section is just rhythm changes. Even though the melody is very simple, the end of section A always changes with unison surprisingly. Section B also has a simple melody, but the key changes from F to Ab and Db. Many jazz musicians who like Benny Golson and Horace Silver should add this tune to their repertoire..

Higgins Hideaway : Teddy Edwards wrote this tune to feature Billy Higgins. It sounds like rhythm changes, but each section has key changes. There are many drum fills during the melody. Billy Higgins plays open solo after a groovy tenor sax solo and piano solo. His snare sound creates a full energetic, swinging feel. This song has an AABA form. The first A section is rhythm changes in Eb, and the second A is rhythm changes in F.

The Sermon : This tune sounds like one of those Bobby Timmons-like blueses. Teddy has a very unique approach when playing the blues. Sometimes he plays very laid back like Hank Mobley and sometimes he is very aggressive like Johnny Griffin. The tone of Leroy's bass is very warm and it matches with Higgins bright ride cymbals. After the fantastic piano solo, Leroy takes a solo just playing the walking bass. I believe Leroy wanted to emphasize the rhythmic pulse on his solo.

Take The A Train This song is one of the most ordinary jazz selections. However, the kicks behind the melody and Higgins' drums made this tune very special. Because this composition is by Duke Ellington, I would like to focus on pianist Joe Castro. Out of all members on this recording, he might be the most underrated artist and less known artist. I could hear a lot influence from red Red Garland, Wynton Kelly and Bud Powell. Because of Teddy's selection, he is well adapted to play like Bobby Timmons.