A multi-talented musician, skilled on reeds and brass instruments, Eddie Shu was considered a valuable sideman although he never gained all that much fame. He first played violin and guitar before learning saxophone. Shu began his professional career as a hamonica-playing ventriloquist! While in the Army (1942-45), Shu played in military bands. After his discharge he worked with Tadd Dameron (1947), George Shearing, Johnny Bothwell, Buddy Rich, Les Elgart and Lionel Hampton (1949-50). Following were stints with Charlie Barnet, Chubby Jackson and most notably the Gene Krupa Trio (1954-58). Shu eventually moved to Florida in the 1960's where he continued playing regularly. During 1964-65 he was part of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars (on clarinet) and later in the decade he gigged with Lionel Hampton and Gene Krupa a bit, but mostly freelanced with his own groups at various times in New York, the Virgin Islands and finally Florida. Although Eddie Shu recorded fairly extensively with Krupa, he only had three opportunities to lead his own record dates, resulting in four titles in 1949, four numbers in Australia (1955) and a Bethlehem album with a quartet (1954). ~ Scott Yanow