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Harry Edison
Harry Edison.jpg
Edison in Paris, France, 1980
Background information
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
Instruments Trumpet
Labels Pacific Jazz, Verve, Roulette, Riverside, Vee-Jay, Liberty, Sue, Black & Blue, Pablo, Storyville, Candid
Associated acts Count Basie Orchestra, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Lester Young, Buddy Rich, Oscar Peterson

Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. 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. 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.

In 1933, he became a member of the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in Cleveland. Afterwards, he played with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band and Lucky Millinder. In 1937, he moved to New York and joined the Count Basie Orchestra. 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.

"Sweets" Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Basie Band and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band. 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. 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. He worked closely with the arranger Nelson Riddle, who gave Edison a microphone that was separate from the rest of the trumpet section. 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.

Edison died of prostate cancer at his home in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 83.

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
  • 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
  • The Original American Decca Recordings (GRP, 1937–39 [1992])
  • Memories Ad-Lib (Roulette, 1958)
  • Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959)
  • Live at the Sands (Before Frank) (Reprise, 1966 [1998])
  • Hollywood...Basie's Way (Command, 1967)
  • Basie's Beat (Verve, 1967)
  • Basie's in the Bag (Brunswick, 1967)
  • Standing Ovation (Dot, 1969)
With Harry Belafonte
With Louie Bellson
  • Skin Deep (Norgran, 1953)
  • Drumorama! (Verve, 1957)
  • Music, Romance and Especially Love (Verve, 1957)
  • Louis Bellson at The Flamingo (Verve, 1957)
  • Thunderbird (Impulse!, 1965)
With Bob Brookmeyer and Zoot Sims
With Ray Bryant
  • Madison Time (Columbia, 1960)
  • Dancing the Big Twist (Columbia, 1961)
With Hoagy Carmichael
  • Hoagy Sings Carmichael (Pacific Jazz, 1956)

With Benny Carter

  • Wonderland (Pablo, 1976 [1986])
  • Elegy in Blue (MusicMasters, 1994)
With James Carter
  • Conversin' with the Elders (Atlantic, 1996)
With Dolo Coker
  • Third Down (Xanadu, 1977)
With Nat King Cole
  • After Midnight (Capitol, 1957)
With Clifford Coulter
  • Do It Now! (Impulse!, 1971)
With Bing Crosby and Buddy Bregman
  • Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings (Verve, 1956)
With Sammy Davis Jr
  • It's All Over but the Swingin' (Decca, 1957)
With Billy Eckstine
  • Billy's Best! (Mercury, 1958)
With Duke Ellington with Johnny Hodges
  • Side by Side (Verve, 1959)
  • Back to Back (Verve, 1959)
With Herb Ellis
  • Ellis in Wonderland (Verve, 1956)
With Ella Fitzgerald
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956, Verve)
  • Get Happy! (1959, Verve)
  • Hello, Love (1960, Verve)
  • Whisper Not (1967, Verve)
  • 30 by Ella (1968, Capitol)
  • Ella Loves Cole (1972, Capitol)
  • Fine and Mellow (1974, Pablo)
  • All That Jazz (1989, Pablo)
With Gil Fuller
  • Gil Fuller & the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra featuring Dizzy Gillespie (Pacific Jazz, 1965)
With Dizzy Gillespie
  • Jazz Recital (Norgran, 1955)
With Jimmy Giuffre
  • The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (Atlantic, 1956)

With Al Grey

  • Shades of Grey (Tangerine, 1965)
With Woody Herman
  • Songs for Hip Lovers (Verve, 1957)
With Billie Holiday
  • Music for Torching (Norgran, 1955)
  • Velvet Mood (Clef, 1956)
  • Lady Sings the Blues (Clef, 1956)
  • Body and Soul (Verve, 1957)
  • Songs for Distingué Lovers (Verve, 1957)
  • All or Nothing at All (Verve, 1958)
With Red Holloway
  • Live at the Floating Jazz Festival (Chiaroscuro, 1997)
With Milt Jackson
  • Memphis Jackson (Impulse!, 1969)
With Illinois Jacquet
  • Illinois Jacquet and His Orchestra (Verve, 1956)
With Budd Johnson
  • Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants (Riverside, 1960)

With Jo Jones

  • Vamp 'til Ready (Everest, 1960)
  • The Main Man (Pablo, 1977)
With Quincy Jones
  • Go West, Man! (ABC, 1957)
  • The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
  • Quincy Plays for Pussycats (Mercury, 1959-65 [1965])
  • Walk, Don't Run (Verve, 1966)
With Barney Kessel
  • To Swing or Not to Swing (Contemporary, 1955)
With Carole King
  • Rhymes & Reasons (A&M 1972)
With B.B. King
  • Live at the Apollo (1991)
With Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich
  • Krupa and Rich (Clef, 1956)
With Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross
  • The Hottest New Group in Jazz (Columbia, 1960)
With Modern Jazz Quartet
  • MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration (Atlantic, 1994)
With The Pointer Sisters
  • That's a Plenty (Blue Thumb, 1974)

With Paul Quinichette

  • Like Basie! (United Artists, 1959)
With Buddy Rich
  • The Swinging Buddy Rich (Norgran, 1954)
  • The Wailing Buddy Rich (Norgran, 1955)
  • This One's for Basie (Verve, 1956)
  • Buddy Rich Sings Johnny Mercer (Verve, 1956)
  • Buddy Rich Just Sings (Verve, 1957)
  • Richcraft (Mercury, 1959)
With Shorty Rogers
  • Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (RCA Victor, 1954)
  • Martians Come Back! (Atlantic, 1955 [1956])
  • Way Up There (Atlantic, 1955 [1957])
  • Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers (RCA Victor, 1957)
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
  • It Might as Well Be Swing (Reprise, 1964)
  • Sinatra at the Sands (Reprise, 1966)
With Mel Tormé
  • Mel Tormé Live at the Fujitsu–Concord Festival 1990 (Concord, 1990)
  • Night at the Concord Pavilion (Concord, 1990)
With Sarah Vaughan
  • Dreamy (Roulette, 1960)
  • The Divine One (Roulette, 1961)
With Lester Young
  • Going for Myself (Recorded 1957–1958)
  • Laughin' to Keep from Cryin' (1958)
With Nancy Wilson
  • The Sound of Nancy Wilson (Capitol, 1968)
With Joe Williams
  • Joe Williams Live! A Swingin' Night at Birdland (Roulette, 1962)
With Teddy Wilson
  • Teddy Wilson & His All Stars (Chiaroscuro, 1995)
With various artists
  • Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 (Pablo, 1973)
  • Jazz at the Philharmonic – Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1983: Return to Happiness (1983, Pablo)
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