Personnel:
Teddy Edwards (ts), Joe Castro (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b), Billy Higgins (d), Gloria Smyth (vcl)
Reference: FSRCD 615
Bar code: 8427328606158
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When West Coast jazz was at its peak in the middle 1950s, tenorist Teddy Edwards was working around Los Angeles in relative obscurity. But late in the decade, when the Eastern sounds established forceful new trends, he came back with force.
In the words of pianist Joe Castro, Leroy Vinnegar and I have played together off and on for four or five years. We were never satisfied with our drummer until we got Billy Higgins. Later casually Leroy introduced me to Teddy Edwards, when we did the Stars of Jazz TV show. Everybody felt good playing together and we naturally hung out and worked a lot together.
The quartet began under the direction of Leroy Vinnegar, and soon worked and recorded under the leadership of both Castro and Edwards. These are all the recordings the quartet made. Edwards tone is vigorous, with a deep, throaty, visceral quality to it; and Castro, with his swinging and funky modern piano, is an ideal partner for this earthier direction in jazz.
-Sunset Eyes
"Teddy Edwards, who took part in classic tenor battles with Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray in Los Angeles during the mid- to late '40s, remained a major tenorman for more than half a century. However, his decision to live in L.A. resulted in him being greatly underrated through the years. Fortunately, the superior hard bop tenor (who showed that there was more than just cool jazz being played on the West Coast in the 1950s) recorded on a fairly frequent basis throughout his career. This set features music from 1959-1960 with Edwards joined by either Amos Trice, Joe Castro or Ronnie Ball on piano, Leroy Vinnegar or Ben Tucker on bass, and Billy Higgins or Al Levitt on drums. Edwards, an underrated composer, performs six of his originals (including his most famous composition, "Sunset Eyes," and two versions of "Takin' Off"), Vinnegar's "Vintage '57," and a pair of standards. Although there are short solos for Castro and Vinnegar, the focus throughout is on the leader's distinctive and likable tenor. Since the great Teddy Edwards never recorded an uninspiring record, this date is easily recommended to fans of straight-ahead jazz."
—Scott Yanow (All Music Guide)
