By Vanessa Lantos Daly (Spicy Melon)
Aug. 19, 2024 – Teddy turned 83 today, which many might consider an accomplishment in itself. But the amazing music and energy he displayed in his performance Sunday night made everyone forget his age and focus on his contagious vibrance.
There’s a sense that he doesn’t care about the spotlight—he’s simply playing and feeling the music in the moment. It’s almost as if he understands that getting lost in the spotlight and attention distracts him from the complexity of his craft. He isn’t seduced by his ego, and giving an impressive performance feels as natural to him as playing with close friends and having fun.
And so, with this humble approach to grandeur, he is beloved. This sentiment is felt in the captivated audience, in the bursts of applause when he plays a short solo, and in the excited, engaged gasps.
The energy is pure love.
There’s much to celebrate about Teddy beyond his birthday. He is a world-renowned jazz legend, a wonderful teacher, a significant pioneer of the jazz movement in Savannah, and a quiet inspiration of greatness without flair.
He doesn’t like interviews because his actions and accomplishments tell a much bigger story.
Notable Attendees
I attended this event with my friend Jerome Meadows, an amazing local sculptor and artist in Savannah. He is also a significant part of the art community and has a studio and gallery on Waters Avenue.
Our attendance was made possible thanks to Paula Fogerty, the executive director of the Savannah Jazz Festival.
Jerome shared, “This was an amazing experience for two primary reasons. One, my respect and admiration for Teddy Adams. He is an elder within the Savannah community. His experience as a musician is global, and I’m totally thrilled that at the age of 83, he is still a monster in the realm. Additionally, most of the people who came out were O.G.s from his generation, and it was great seeing these senior members of the community coming out in support of Teddy. Some of them said they went to school together, so they have known each other for decades. To have that kind of community celebration is immeasurable.”
Jerome also expressed admiration for Teddy’s craft from a personal perspective: “The fact that he is a trombonist, and I played trombone in high school, made me appreciate the beauty and spirit of that instrument, and the difficulty of playing it. Unlike the trumpet, where you have keys, or even the saxophone, the position of your arm determines what note you are playing. So, to have him play with the kind of intricacy that he demonstrated was mind-boggling. His talent is constantly reflected. Then, two of his students joined him to play. The three of them playing together was unbelievably potent. The trombone doesn’t usually get much play or respect, but with their performance, they said, ‘Stop ignoring this instrument—it is formidable.’”
He also complimented Teddy’s sextet, calling them all “monsters in their own right.”
Many significant figures were in attendance for the concert, which had been sold out weeks in advance.
Howard Paul, a famous guitarist and president of Benedetto Guitars, was there and smiled as he said that he has known Teddy for about 30 years.
Edna Jackson, who among many honors and achievements, was the first African American woman to be elected mayor of Savannah in 2012, also attended to celebrate Teddy.
Harold D. Jackson, a local author, shared, “Teddy’s the most amazing guy. He just finished his second book. His first book encouraged me to write my first book, Divine Encryption. This is about my walk with God, just like his first book is. I’ve known him for six years, but it feels much longer than that. I was in a relationship with his daughter for four years, and he still calls me his son-in-law for life. He is definitely a father to many.”
The Spell of Cynthia Utterbach
A nicely dressed and lovely lady passes me on the way to the restroom, and then Teddy calls her onto the stage. Begrudgingly, she makes her way back and steps onto the stage, and I’m surprised to discover she is Cynthia Utterbach. While the show has been amazing so far, I’m instantly captivated by Cynthia. She is funny and charming, an amazing storyteller who sprinkles humor like salt and pepper between songs, and her charisma is contagious.
She shares that she didn’t realize she had to be there until she saw the confirmation on her Facebook invite, enchanting the crowd.
She tells a story before her first song: “As I said to Teddy, I don’t have a birthday present for you, times are rough right now, gigs is hard, you know, right now… I could bring you a song.”
She playfully tells the story of how, in the beginning, she would always bring new tunes to Teddy and loved when he didn’t know them. But it got more difficult over the years, to the point where he seemed to know them all. Finally, she finds a tune two weeks ago at the end of a movie and thinks, “Oh, this is the one!” and sends it to him. He doesn’t get back to her, but later surprises her by having rehearsed it with the band, and she needs to urgently learn it. She shares: “I was doing just fine, it is a lovely ballad, until the bass player here tells me at this rehearsal—‘You know, I googled it, and you know, it was in the original Dr. Doolittle movie. He sang the song to a seal.’ I can’t get that out of my head now.” Followed by laughter, they start playing “When I Look in Your Eyes.”
And suddenly, she sings with sultry sensuality—an intense softness, almost like a whisper, but so powerful. Rich and melancholic, completely enthralling.
I am entranced.
She follows with “Hey John” by Blossom Dearie. Then, she shares with a sparkle of nostalgia before another song how she played Billie Holiday in a play in Germany that opened for two weeks and ended up running for six years.
The audience couldn’t get enough.
The Significance of Teddy
Teddy doesn’t say much, but every time he plays, encouraging applause splatters around the auditorium. Most of his words are spent calling up friends and musicians to play with him throughout the night, including Quentin Baxter, Howard Paul, and two of his students.
Adams says, “Few words to be said, but we are gonna finish this out with a good old jam session, featuring the people who came out to help me celebrate this birthday. I welcome them up. Leading the bunch is my other son; from the day he walked into my house and met my wife and kids, he was officially adopted. Mr. Quentin Baxter. He is no stranger in Savannah, a member of the hall of fame here in Savannah. Who else is coming up? Howard Paul, Coastal Jazz president and Benedetto Guitars president, he is at my side. Now two of my mentees, who I am very, very proud of—they both have gotten their master’s degrees in music and now play professionally.”
After the jam session, Paula Fogerty thanks everyone and speaks warmly of Teddy, then hands the mic to Chef Joe Randall, one of the leaders of jazz in Savannah, who shares, “Teddy is a wonderful musician, and we have the opportunity to share our love of jazz.”
Following him, Skip Jennings, Honorary Board Member of the Savannah Jazz Association, takes the mic to say a few words: “I met Teddy in 1987 at the Jazz Festival then. (…) Very quickly I got to know Teddy Adams very well, and more than anyone else, Teddy Adams is responsible for the tone of the festival and the direction of the festival.”
This year celebrated the 43rd annual Savannah Jazz Festival, and the festival’s great reputation is built on staying true to the quality of their performances. Teddy is highly responsible for that.
After the final song of the night, Teddy and his band receive a standing ovation, followed by the audience singing “Happy Birthday.” I hope Teddy gets his wish to have another show, same time, next year.
See you at the next one,
Vanessa Lantos Daly
From The Spicy Melon Blog
Read Jim Reed’s column on Teddy Adams’ legacy>
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