Teddy Edwards’ Sunset Eyes is scheduled for release in the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series on April 4, 2025. Recording dates and personnel for the album have been muddled and unknown over the years.
Teddy Edwards’ first album as leader for Pacific Jazz, It’s About Time, PJ/ST-6, evolved from Edwards’ sitting in with Les McCann’s trio during Sunday afternoon sessions at The Bit, a coffee house located at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gardner Street in Hollywood. The album was recorded during two sessions on May 2, 1960.
Edwards’ second album as leader, Sunset Eyes, PJ-14, was stitched together from four separate recording sessions, three in March 1960 and the fourth on August 16, 1960.
The first session on March 21, 1960, with Teddy Edwards, leader, tenor saxophone; Amos Trice, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; and Anthony Bazley, drums; recorded: “I Hear A Rhapsody” (3:30), “Feet Washing” aka “Lovely, Lovely” (3:34), “Symphony Sid” (2:14), “In Early Spring” (3:31), “Velvet Mist” (3:29), and “Whatunama” (3:21). “I Hear A Rhapsody” was released on Teddy Edwards’ Sunset Eyes, PJ-14, crediting Billy Higgins in error on drums. “Symphony Sid” was added to the CD reissue of Sunset Eyes, CDP 7243 4 94949 2 5 in 1998 as a bonus track, “The New Symphony Sid” crediting Higgins in error.
“Symphony Sid” was also issued in 1960 on a non-retail seven inch 33 1/3 disc for the Seeburg Corporation. It was coupled with “Theme,” a Gil Evans track from his second album for World Pacific, Great Jazz Standards, WP-1270.
The second session on March 23, 1960, was set up to back a vocalist, Gloria Smyth, with Ronnie Ball, leader, piano; Teddy Edwards, tenor saxophone; Ben Tucker, bass; and Al Levitt, drums. Five tunes were recorded: “Bye Bye Blackbird” (2:07), “Sittin’ and Sighin’” aka “Orison” (3:31), “Billy” (1:57), “Tempo de Blues” (4:42), and “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me” (2:41). The first three tunes were released on Like Soul! – Gloria Smyth, WP/ST-1293, and “Tempo de Blues” was issued on Teddy Edwards / Sunset Eyes, PJ-14.
Dick Bock included “Tempo de Blues” on a Blues anthology, This Is The Blues, Volume 2, PJ/ST-30. The collection was a follow-up to Blues albums that were issued in the JWC series, The Blues, JWC-502; Have Blues, Will Travel, JWC-509; Blowin’ The Blues, JWC-512; The Blues In Stereo, Stereo-513, and the latest in the new PJ series, This Is The Blues, Volume 1, PJ-13.
The third session was held on March 24, 1960, from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. with Teddy Edwards, leader, tenor saxophone; Amos Trice, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; and Anthony Bazley, drums. Four tunes were recorded: “Cheek to Cheek” (3:21), “It’s About Time” (2:30), “My Kinda Blues” (5:12), and “Symphony On Central” (3:35). “My Kinda Blues” was issued on the CD reissue of Teddy Edwards’ Sunset Eyes LP, CDP 7243 4 94949 2 5 as a bonus track in 1998 crediting Billy Higgins in error on drums.
Two sessions were held on August 16, 1960, from 1:00 to 4:30 and 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Rex Production Studio to complete Sunset Eyes. Teddy Edwards, tenor saxophone, leader; Joe Castro, piano; Leroy Vinnegar, bass; and Billy Higgins, drums; recorded “Vintage 57” (7:07), “Taking Off” (6:25), “Sunset Eyes” (5:20), “Teddy’s Tune” (6:08), “As Times Goes By” (5:22), “Up In Teddy’s New Flat” (3:03), and “Me and My Lover” (2:40). The CD reissue of Sunset Eyes included an alternate version of “Taking Off.”
Higgins’ vocal of “Me and My Lover” was an impromptu performance that he did fooling around between takes. Bock liked it and talked Higgins into doing it again on tape. “Me and My Lover” and “Up In Teddy’s New Flat” were issued on X-302, the new Pacific Jazz 45 single series.
Dick Bock was well into recording albums for mono and stereo release and it is odd that Sunset Eyes was issued in mono only. Side one, matrix A-853, presented “Tempo de Blues” from the March 23rd Ronnie Ball session, “Vintage 57” and “Up In Teddy’s New Flat” from the August 16th session, and “I Hear a Rhapsody” from the March 21st session.
All of the tracks on side two, matrix B-853, were from the August 16th session. Teddy Edwards’ working quartet at the time included Joe Castro, Leroy Vinnegar, and Billy Higgins. The group had recorded for Atlantic in 1959 under Castro as leader, Groove Funk Soul, and made an album for Contemporary Records the following day, August 17, 1960, Teddy’s Ready.
The flip side of X-302 with “Up In Teddy’s New Flat” included a side note on the label – “From LP Album PJ-11 Teddy’s New Flat” – revealing that Edwards’s second album as leader on Pacific Jazz was still in the planning stages regarding a title for the album. Fortunately Edwards’ innovative composition from 1948 was selected as the title for the album, Sunset Eyes.
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