Napoleon, Teddy (actually, Napoli, Edward George)

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Napoleon, Teddy (actually, Napoli, Edward George)

Napoleon, Teddy (actually, Napoli, Edward George), jazz pianist; nephew of Phil Napoleon, brother of Marty Napoleon; b. Brooklyn, N.Y, Jan. 23, 1914; d. Elmhurst, N.Y, July 5, 1964. He did his first professional work in 1933. He gigged with many bands, including working with his brother Marty, then worked for a long time with Tommy Tompkins’s band in the mid-to-late 1930s. Napoleon was mainly with Gene Krupa from 1944 until 1958 (including overseas tours in the 1950s). In 1959, he moved to Fla., where he led his own trio and worked occasionally with Bill Harris and Flip Phillips.

—John ChiltonWho’s Who of Jazz/Lewis Porter