American jazz trumpeter (1915–1999)
Harry Edison
Edison in Paris, France, 1980
Born (1915-10-10 ) October 10, 1915
Columbus, Ohio , U.S.Died July 27, 1999(1999-07-27) (aged 83) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Genres
Jazz ,
swing Occupation(s) Musician Instrument(s) Trumpet Labels
Pacific Jazz ,
Verve ,
Roulette ,
Riverside ,
Vee-Jay ,
Liberty ,
Sue ,
Black & Blue ,
Pablo ,
Storyville ,
Candid
Musical artist
Harry "Sweets " Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz
trumpeter and a member of the
Count Basie Orchestra .
[1] His most important contribution was as a
Hollywood
studio musician , whose muted trumpet can be heard backing singers, most notably
Frank Sinatra .
Biography
Edison was born in
Columbus, Ohio , United States.
[1] He spent his early childhood in
Louisville , Kentucky, being introduced to music by an uncle. After moving back to Columbus at the age of twelve, the young Edison began playing the trumpet with local bands.
[2]
In 1933, he became a member of the
Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in
Cleveland .
[1] Afterwards, he played with the
Mills Blue Rhythm Band and
Lucky Millinder .
[1] In 1937, he moved to New York and joined the
Count Basie Orchestra.
[1] His colleagues included
Buck Clayton ,
Lester Young (who named him "Sweets"),
Buddy Tate ,
Freddie Green ,
Jo Jones , and other original members of that famous band. Speaking in 1956 with
Down Beat 's Don Freeman, Edison explained the origin of his nickname:
Well, this happened one day in March back in '37. All of us in the Basie band were sitting around the lobby of the
Woodside Hotel in New York. It was snowing outside, and we were waiting for the bus to go on a tour of one-nighters. We were all like brothers in that band. I was kind of the baby of the band and took a lot of the ribbing. So this time Lester Young was joshing me about my 'sweet' style and he said: "We're going to call you 'Sweetie Pie.'" They did, too, for a few months. Then they shortened it to "Sweets." The nickname has kind of lasted a long time .
[3]
"Sweets" Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Basie Band and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band.
[1] He also appeared in the 1944 film
Jammin' the Blues .
Edison spent thirteen years with Basie until the band was temporarily disbanded in 1950. Edison thereafter pursued a varied career as leader of his own groups, traveling with
Jazz at the Philharmonic and freelancing with other orchestras.
[1] In the early 1950s, he settled on the
West Coast and became a highly sought-after studio musician, making important contributions to recordings by such artists as
Billie Holiday ,
Frank Sinatra ,
Nat King Cole ,
Billy Daniels ,
Margaret Whiting ,
Bing Crosby and
Ella Fitzgerald .
[4] He worked closely with the arranger
Nelson Riddle , who gave Edison a microphone that was separate from the rest of the trumpet section.
[5] He made use of a Harmon mute to improvise his solos and obbligatos. In 1956, he recorded the first of three albums with
Ben Webster .
According to the Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies , Edison in the 1960s and 1970s continued to work in many orchestras on television shows, including Hollywood Palace and
The Leslie Uggams Show , specials with Frank Sinatra; prominently featured on the sound track and in the sound track album of the film,
Lady Sings the Blues . From 1973, Edison acted as Musical Director for
Redd Foxx on theatre dates, at concerts, and in
Las Vegas . He appeared frequently in
Europe and
Japan until shortly before his death. As the Los Angeles Jazz Society (LAJS) first Tribute Honoree, "Sweets" will always have a special place in the hearts of jazz fans.
[6]
Edison died of
prostate cancer at his home in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 83.
[7]
Discography
As leader/co-leader
Buddy and Sweets (
Norgran , 1955) with
Buddy Rich
Pres and Sweets (Norgran, 1955) with
Lester Young
Sweets (
Clef , 1956)
Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You (
Verve , 1957) with
Ben Webster
Jazz Giants '58 (Verve, 1958) with
Stan Getz and
Gerry Mulligan
Going for Myself (Verve, 1958) with
Lester Young
The Swinger (Verve, 1958)
Mr. Swing (Verve, 1958 [1960])
Harry Edison Swings Buck Clayton (Verve, 1958) with
Buck Clayton
Sweetenings (
Roulette , 1958)
Patented by Edison (Roulette, 1960)
Together (Roulette, 1961) with
Joe Williams
Jawbreakers (
Riverside , 1962) with
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Wanted to Do One Together (
Columbia , 1962) with
Ben Webster
"Sweets" for the Sweet (
Sue , 1964)
Sweets for the Sweet Taste of Love (
Vee-Jay , 1964)
When Lights are Low (
Liberty , 1966)
The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner (
Pablo , 1974) with
Big Joe Turner ,
Dizzy Gillespie ,
Roy Eldridge and
Clark Terry
Oscar Peterson and Harry Edison (Pablo, 1974) with
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson and the Trumpet Kings – Jousts (Pablo, 1974) with Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge and Clark Terry
Edison's Lights (Pablo, 1976)
Simply Sweets (Pablo, 1978) with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Just Friends (Pablo, 1978 [1980]) with
John Haley Sims
Meeting in Stockholm (Beaver Records, 1985) with Claes Crona
Oscar Peterson + Harry Edison + Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (Pablo, 1986) with Oscar Peterson and
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
For My Pals (Pablo, 1988)
As sideman
With
Count Basie
With
Harry Belafonte
With
Louie Bellson
With
Bob Brookmeyer and
Zoot Sims
With
Ray Bryant
With
Hoagy Carmichael
With
Benny Carter
With
James Carter
With
Dolo Coker
With
Nat King Cole
With
Clifford Coulter
With
Bing Crosby and
Buddy Bregman
With
Sammy Davis Jr
With
Billy Eckstine
With
Duke Ellington with
Johnny Hodges
With
Herb Ellis
With
Ella Fitzgerald
With
Gil Fuller
With
Dizzy Gillespie
With
Jimmy Giuffre
With
Al Grey
With
Woody Herman
With
Billie Holiday
With
Red Holloway
Live at the Floating Jazz Festival (Chiaroscuro, 1997)
With
Milt Jackson
With
Illinois Jacquet
With
Budd Johnson
With
Jo Jones
With
Quincy Jones
With
Barney Kessel
With
Carole King
With
B.B. King
With
Gene Krupa and
Buddy Rich
With
Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross
With
Modern Jazz Quartet
With
The Pointer Sisters
With
Paul Quinichette
With
Buddy Rich
With
Shorty Rogers
With
Frank Sinatra
Swing Easy! (Capitol, 1954)
In the Wee Small Hours (Capitol, 1955)
Songs for Swingin' Lovers (Capitol, 1956)
Close to You (Capitol, 1957)
A Swingin' Affair (Capitol, 1957)
Only the Lonely (Capitol, 1958)
Nice 'n' Easy (Capitol, 1960)
Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! (Capitol, 1961)
Sinatra & Company (Reprise, 1971)
Some Nice Things I've Missed (Reprise, 1974)
With
Frank Sinatra and
Count Basie
With
Mel Tormé
With
Sarah Vaughan
With
Lester Young
With
Nancy Wilson
With
Joe Williams
With
Teddy Wilson
With various artists
References
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Colin Larkin , ed. (2002).
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.).
Virgin Books . pp. 117/8.
ISBN
1-85227-937-0 .
^ Reisser, Jean-Michel (June 22, 2009).
"An interview with, a biography of, albums and CDs by the legendary jazz trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison" . Cosmopolis.ch . Archived from
the original on January 16, 2013.
^ Freeman, Don (January 25, 1956).
"After 17 Years, Edison Is Taking Lessons" . Down Beat . p. 33. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
^
"Obituary: Harry Edison" . The Independent . July 29, 1999.
Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2020 .
^ Ratliff, Ben (July 29, 1999).
"Harry (Sweets) Edison, 83, Trumpeter for Basie Band, Dies" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved August 16, 2020 .
^
"Harry "Sweets" Edison, 1983 and 1992" . Los Angeles Jazz Society . Retrieved December 7, 2013 .
^ Ratliff, Ben (July 29, 1999).
"Harry (Sweets) Edison, 83, Trumpeter for Basie Band, Dies" .
The New York Times .
External links
Members 1951–1960
Dance Session (1952–54, Clef)
Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (with
Joe Williams ) (1955, Clef)
April in Paris (1955–56, Verve)
The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (with
Joe Williams ) (1956, Verve)
Basie in London (live) (1956, Verve)
One O'Clock Jump (with
Joe Williams and
Ella Fitzgerald ) (1957, Verve)
Count Basie at Newport (live) (1957, Verve)
E = MC² (1958, Roulette)
Basie Plays Hefti (1958, Roulette)
No Count Sarah (with
Sarah Vaughan ) (1958, EmArcy)
Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (1959, Roulette)
Welcome to the Club (Uncredited) (
Nat King Cole ) (1959, Capitol)
In Person! (with
Tony Bennett ) (1959, Columbia)
Chairman of the Board (1959, Roulette)
Strike Up the Band (with
Tony Bennett ) (1959, Roulette)
Basie/Eckstine Incorporated (with
Billy Eckstine ) (1959, Roulette)
Everyday I Have the Blues (with
Joe Williams ) (1959, Roulette)
The Count Basie Story (1960, Roulette)
I Gotta Right to Swing (Uncredited) (
Sammy Davis Jr. ) (1960, Decca)
1961–1970
First Time! The Count Meets the Duke (with
Duke Ellington ) (1961, Columbia)
The Legend (1961, Roulette)
Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan (with
Sarah Vaughan ) (1961, Roulette)
Basie at Birdland (live) (1961, Roulette)
Easin' It (1962, Roulette)
Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First (with
Frank Sinatra ) (1962, Reprise)
On My Way & Shoutin' Again! (1963, Verve)
Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! (1963, Verve)
This Time by Basie! (1963, Verve)
Ella and Basie! (with
Ella Fitzgerald ) (1963, Verve)
Basie Land (1964, Verve)
It Might as Well Be Swing (with
Frank Sinatra ) (1964, Reprise)
Basie Picks the Winners (1965, Verve)
Our Shining Hour (with
Sammy Davis Jr. ) (1965, Verve)
Arthur Prysock and Count Basie (with
Arthur Prysock ) (1965, Verve)
Basie's Beatle Bag (1965, Verve)
Broadway Basie's...Way (1966, Command)
Basie Meets Bond (1966, United Artists)
Hollywood...Basie's Way (1966, Command)
Sinatra at the Sands (live, with
Frank Sinatra ) (1966, Reprise)
Basie's Beat (1967, Verve)
Half a Sixpence (1967, Dot)
The Board of Directors (with
The Mills Brothers ) (1968, Dot)
The Board of Directors Annual Report (with
The Mills Brothers ) (1968, Dot)
Basie Straight Ahead (1969, Dot)
Standing Ovation (1969, Dot)
Afrique (1970, RCA Victor)
Basie on the Beatles (1970,
Happy Tiger )
1971–1980
Have A Nice Day (1971, Daybreak)
Bing 'n' Basie (with
Bing Crosby ) (1972, Daybreak)
Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 (live) (1972, Pablo)
The Bosses (with
Big Joe Turner ) (1973, Pablo)
Basie Big Band (1975, Pablo)
Fun Time (1975, Pablo)
I Told You So (1976, Pablo)
Prime Time (1977, Pablo)
Montreux '77 (live) (1977, Pablo)
Live in Japan '78 (live) (1978, Pablo)
On the Road (1979, Pablo)
Digital III at Montreux (live) (1979, Pablo)
A Classy Pair (with
Ella Fitzgerald ) (1979, Pablo)
A Perfect Match (live, with
Ella Fitzgerald ) (1979, Pablo)
Kansas City Shout (1980, Pablo)
1981–1990
Warm Breeze (1981, Pablo)
Send in the Clowns (
Sarah Vaughan ) (1981, Pablo)
Farmer's Market Barbecue (1982, Pablo)
88 Basie Street (1983, Pablo)
Me and You (1983, Pablo)
Fancy Pants (final album with
Count Basie ) (1983, Pablo)
Long Live the Chief (1987, Denon)
Diane Schuur & the Count Basie Orchestra (live, with
Diane Schuur ) (1987, GRP)
The Legend, the Legacy (1990, Denon)
1991–2000
The George Benson Big Boss Band featuring The Count Basie Orchestra (1991, Warner Bros.)
The Count Basie Orchestra Live at El Morocco (1992, Telarc)
Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra (1993, Telarc)
Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild: The Count Basie Orchestra (1997, Blue Jackel)
At Long Last (with
Rosemary Clooney ) (1998, Concord)
Count Plays Duke (1998, MAMA)
Swing Shift (1999, MAMA)
2001–present Small-group sessions
Basie Jam (1973, Pablo)
For the First Time (1974, Pablo)
Basie & Zoot (with
Zoot Sims ) (1975, Pablo)
For the Second Time (1975, Pablo)
Basie Jam 2 (1976, Pablo)
Basie Jam 3 (1976, Pablo)
Kansas City 5 (1977, Pablo)
The Gifted Ones (with
Dizzy Gillespie ) (1977, Pablo)
Basie Jam: Montreux '77 (live) (1977, Pablo)
Satch and Josh...Again (with
Oscar Peterson ) (1977, Pablo)
Night Rider (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
Count Basie Meets Oscar Peterson – The Timekeepers (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
Yessir, That's My Baby (with Oscar Peterson) (1978, Pablo)
Kansas City 7 (1980, Pablo)
Kansas City 6 (1981, Pablo)
Mostly Blues...and Some Others (1983, Pablo)
International National Artists Other