Teddy Edwards born on this date in 1924
Edwards cut Sunset Eyes for Pacific Jazz in nineteen sixty, right in the sweet spot of his career. He’d already logged time with Howard McGhee and Dexter Gordon, establishing himself as a central figure in West Coast jazz without falling into the cool school. This album captures Edwards at his most lyrical — working with pianist Duke Jordan, bassist Larry Ridley, and drummer Freddie Waits through a set of standards and one Edwards original. Pacific Jazz was the perfect home for this session. Richard Bock’s label specialized in that particular brand of California sophistication — jazz that could swing like bebop but breathe like chamber music. Edwards brings both sides of his musical personality here: the hard-bop tenor who could trade fours with anyone, and the balladeer who understood that sometimes the space between the notes matters more than the notes themselves. The rhythm section gives him exactly what he needs — Jordan’s elegant comping, Ridley’s walking bass lines that never overstate, and Waits keeping time with brushes more often than sticks.
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