Ed Atkins is one of New Orleans' most historic performers, which is a mouthful, and hopefully of beans and rice or something similarly tasty. In 1905 he blew the baritone horn in the Onward Brass Band, an ensemble whose name implies the very sort of unrelenting forward motion that has always been the nature of jazz, give or take a few fallow periods here and there. Atkins was one of the main members of the Olympia Band, switching to the more expressive trombone, and traveled in 1915 to Chicago with trumpeter Manuel Perez. The following year was a busy one for Atkins as the New Orleans scene began to almost explode with musical talent. He worked with King Oliver, with whom he can be heard on record on several different collections such as Dippermouth Blues: His 25 Greatest Hits, as well as in groups such as the Tuxedo Band and Joe Howard's Band.

The trombonist played in an army brass band regiment during the first World War, then settled in Chicago where he gigged with an array of bandleaders. Once again Oliver was on the scene with both Louis Armstrong and Lil Armstrong in tow, and there were also important collaborations with violinist and saxophonist Charlie Elgar, pianist Dave Peyton, and the talented multi-instrumentalists and composers Junie Cobb and Erskine Tate. The final Atkins credits are in the '30s, mostly with the Art Short Orchestra. By the time of his death, Atkins had dropped off the jazz radar. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi