Edgar O de Haas' Obituary
Edgar Otto de Haas (also known as Ed de Haas, “Eddie”) born February 21, 1930-died on June 22, 2022, age 92, at the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, NJ after a long battle with dementia. He was the beloved husband of Geraldine (Wideman Bey) and they shared 60 years of marriage.
Born in Bandung Java Indonesia, he was the oldest son of Hendrickus Wilmot Manuel and Maria Olga Mina de Haas. He ,and younger brother Emilio, were raised in Bandung until 1946 when the family moved to the Netherlands. Drawn to music at an early age, Ed started playing the ukulele at age 10 while still living in Java and eventually moved on to guitar and ultimately double bass, on which he was self-taught. His best friend, Rob Pronk, an arranger and band leader, brought him into his first experiences as a jazz musician in the mid 1940’s.
He became the quintessential sideman- a world-class musician who came up in the Golden Age of entertainment and worked with a wide variety of musicians in the Netherlands and eventually the rest of Europe, the US and beyond. Because of his rhythmically as well as harmonically sound playing, he was a much sought-after bass player in mainly mainstream jazz groups. His impressive discography also shows his widely appreciated musicality and versatility. Influenced by the great jazz bassists Oscar Pettiford and his dear friend Ray Brown, Ed played with and supported the best in the business including but not limited to: Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Martial Solal, Blossom Dearie, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Roy Haynes, Kenny Burrell, Zoot Sims, Teddy Wilson, Billy Taylor, Dorothy Donegan, Eddie Johnson, the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary.
In 1968 Ed moved to and worked mainly in Chicago, as the bassist of house orchestras in restaurants, hotels and jazz clubs, most notably as the house musician for The Jazz Showcase. He spoke five languages - Dutch, Indonesian, English, French, and Spanish, was a big tennis fan, dog lover, a fantastic cook, a great teacher and respected mentor to many of the upcoming generations of jazz musicians who had the pleasure of working and studying with him. He is survived by his wife Geraldine, daughter Aisha de Haas, son Darius de Haas and son-in-law Kyle Rudy, daughter Michele Groneck, grandchildren Sarah Groneck and Thomas Groneck as well as many relatives in the U.S. and abroad.
The family appreciates any donations you would like to make in his name to Caring Kind (https://www.caringkindnyc.org)
Announcements for a memorial celebration will be made at a later date.
What’s your fondest memory of Edgar?
What’s a lesson you learned from Edgar?
Share a story where Edgar's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Edgar you’ll never forget.
How did Edgar make you smile?