Edwards, Bass (Henry)

Edwards, Bass (Henry), jazz tuba player, bassist;b. Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 22, 1889; d. N.Y., Aug. 22, 1965. At 14, he began playing in local Odd Fellows7 Band, and subsequently studied music at Morris Brown Coll. and Morehouse Coll. in Atlanta. During World War I, Edwards played in U.S. Army Bands, including a spell with Lt. J. Tim Brymn’s 350th FA. Band. From 1919, he played in Philadelphia with various concert orchestras and with the Madarn I. O. Keene Dance Orch. (1919–20). From 1921–25, he played with several dance bands in the Philadelphia-Atlantic City area. In mid-1925, Ed-wards joined Duke Ellington, but only remained with the band until spring 1926. Edwards then joined Leon Abbey in N.Y. and on a tour of South America during the spring 1927. When he returned to N.Y., he joined the Allie Ross Orch., which played for the Blackbirds shows. In May 1929, he joined Noble Sissle’s band on brass bass, and sailed to Europe with Sissle. On his return to N.Y., he worked with Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and Eubie Blake, before rejoining Allie Ross for the Rhapsody in Black show. His last major jazz position was with the Charlie Matson Orch. during 1933. He then worked mainly on string bass with various light and classical orchestras, including N.Y. Sym. Band, W.N.Y.C. Sym. Orch., and many others. “Bass” Edwards has often been confused with the N.Y. string bass/tuba player Sumner Leslie “King” Edwards. “King,” who worked in Europe with Louis Mitchell, Sam Wooding, etc., was the brother of trumpeter Maceo Edwards.

—John Chilton/Lewis Porter