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Harry Edison
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{{Short description|American jazz trumpeter (1915–1999)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2014}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Harry Edison | image = Harry Edison.jpg | image_size = | landscape = yes | caption = Edison in Paris, France, 1980 | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1915|10|10}} | birth_place = [[Columbus, Ohio]], U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1999|07|27|1915|10|10}} | death_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | genre = [[Jazz]], [[swing music|swing]] | occupation = Musician | instrument = Trumpet | years_active = 1933-1970s | label = [[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]], [[Verve Records|Verve]], [[Roulette Records|Roulette]], [[Riverside Records|Riverside]], [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]], [[Liberty Records|Liberty]], [[Sue Records|Sue]], [[Black & Blue Records|Black & Blue]], [[Pablo Records|Pablo]], [[Storyville Records|Storyville]], [[Candid Records|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 [[Trumpet|trumpeter]] and a member of the [[Count Basie Orchestra]].<ref name="Larkin50">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2002|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-937-0|pages=117/8}}</ref> His most important contribution was as a [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] [[studio musician]], whose muted trumpet can be heard backing singers, most notably [[Frank Sinatra]]. ==Biography== Edison was born in [[Columbus, Ohio]], United States.<ref name="Larkin50"/> He spent his early childhood in [[Louisville, Kentucky|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cosmopolis.ch/english/music/107/harry_edison_e000107.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116002130/http://www.cosmopolis.ch/english/music/107/harry_edison_e000107.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 2013 |title=An interview with, a biography of, albums and CDs by the legendary jazz trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison |first=Jean-Michel |last=Reisser |website=Cosmopolis.ch |date=June 22, 2009 }}</ref> In 1933, he became a member of the [[Jeter-Pillars Orchestra]] in [[Cleveland]].<ref name="Larkin50"/> Afterwards, he played with the [[Mills Blue Rhythm Band]] and [[Lucky Millinder]].<ref name="Larkin50"/> In 1937, he moved to New York and joined the [[Count Basie]] Orchestra.<ref name="Larkin50"/> 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 ''[[DownBeat]]'s'' Don Freeman, Edison explained the origin of his nickname: <blockquote>Well, this happened one day in March back in '37. All of us in the Basie band were sitting around the lobby of the [[Jumpin%27_at_the_Woodside#The_Woodside_Hotel|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.<ref>Freeman, Don (January 25, 1956). [https://archive.org/details/sim_down-beat_1956-01-25_23_2/page/32/mode/2up "After 17 Years, Edison Is Taking Lessons"]. ''Down Beat''. p. 33. Retrieved March 1, 2022.</ref></blockquote> "Sweets" Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Basie Band and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band.<ref name="Larkin50"/> 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.<ref name="Larkin50"/> In the early 1950s, he settled on the [[West Coast of the United States|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]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1999-07-29|title=Obituary: Harry Edison|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-harry-edison-1109279.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220509/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-harry-edison-1109279.html |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |url-access=registration |url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-16|website=The Independent|language=en}}</ref> He worked closely with the arranger [[Nelson Riddle]], who gave Edison a microphone that was separate from the rest of the trumpet section.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ratliff|first=Ben|date=1999-07-29|title=Harry (Sweets) Edison, 83, Trumpeter for Basie Band, Dies|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/29/us/harry-sweets-edison-83-trumpeter-for-basie-band-dies.html|access-date=2020-08-16|issn=0362-4331|url-access=subscription}}</ref> 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 (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. He was the Los Angeles Jazz Society's first Tribute Honoree.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lajazz.org/harry-sweets-edison-1983-and-1992/ |title=Harry "Sweets" Edison, 1983 and 1992 |work=Los Angeles Jazz Society |access-date=December 7, 2013}}</ref> Edison died of [[prostate cancer]] at his home in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 83.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ratliff |first=Ben |title=Harry (Sweets) Edison, 83, Trumpeter for Basie Band, Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/29/us/harry-sweets-edison-83-trumpeter-for-basie-band-dies.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 29, 1999}}</ref> ==Discography== ===As leader/co-leader=== {{div col}} * ''[[Buddy and Sweets]]'' ([[Norgran Records|Norgran]], 1955) with [[Buddy Rich]] * ''[[Pres and Sweets]]'' (Norgran, 1955) with [[Lester Young]] * ''[[Sweets (album)|Sweets]]'' ([[Clef Records|Clef]], 1956) * ''[[Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You (album)|Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You]]'' ([[Verve Records|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 (album)|The Swinger]]'' (Verve, 1958) * ''[[Mr. Swing (album)|Mr. Swing]]'' (Verve, 1958 [1960]) * ''[[Harry Edison Swings Buck Clayton]]'' (Verve, 1958) with [[Buck Clayton]] * ''[[Sweetenings]]'' ([[Roulette Records|Roulette]], 1958) * ''[[Patented by Edison]]'' (Roulette, 1960) * ''[[Together (Joe Williams and Harry Edison album)|Together]]'' (Roulette, 1961) with [[Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]] * ''[[Jawbreakers (album)|Jawbreakers]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]], 1962) with [[Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis]] * ''[[Wanted to Do One Together]]'' ([[Columbia Records|Columbia]], 1962) with [[Ben Webster]] * ''[["Sweets" for the Sweet]]'' ([[Sue Records|Sue]], 1964) * ''[[Sweets for the Sweet Taste of Love]]'' ([[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]], 1964) * ''[[When Lights Are Low (Harry Edison album)|When Lights Are Low]]'' ([[Liberty Records|Liberty]], 1966) * ''[[The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner]]'' ([[Pablo Records|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 (Zoot Sims and Harry Edison album)|Just Friends]]'' (Pablo, 1978 [1980]) with [[Zoot Sims|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) {{div col end}} === As sideman === {{Div col}} '''With [[Count Basie]]''' * ''[[Memories Ad-Lib]]'' (Roulette, 1958) * ''[[Breakfast Dance and Barbecue]]'' (Roulette, 1959) * ''[[Hollywood...Basie's Way]]'' ([[Command Records|Command]], 1967) * ''[[Basie's Beat]]'' (Verve, 1967) * ''[[Basie's in the Bag]]'' ([[Brunswick Records|Brunswick]], 1967) * ''[[Standing Ovation (Count Basie album)|Standing Ovation]]'' ([[Dot Records|Dot]], 1969) * ''[[The Original American Decca Recordings]]'' ([[GRP Records|GRP]], 1992) – rec. 1937–1939 * ''[[Live at the Sands (Before Frank)]]'' ([[Reprise Records|Reprise]], 1998) –rec. 1966 '''With [[Louie Bellson]]''' * ''[[Skin Deep (Louis Bellson album)|Skin Deep]]'' (Norgran, 1953) * ''[[Drumorama!]]'' (Verve, 1957) * ''[[Music, Romance and Especially Love]]'' (Verve, 1957) * ''[[Louis Bellson at The Flamingo]]'' (Verve, 1957) * ''[[Thunderbird (Louis Bellson album)|Thunderbird]]'' (Impulse!, 1965) '''With [[Ray Bryant]]''' * ''[[Madison Time]]'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''[[Dancing the Big Twist]]'' (Columbia, 1961) '''With [[Benny Carter]]''' * ''[[Wonderland (Benny Carter album)|Wonderland]]'' (Pablo, 1986) – rec. 1976 * ''[[Elegy in Blue]]'' (MusicMasters, 1994) '''With [[Duke Ellington]] with [[Johnny Hodges]]''' * ''[[Side by Side (Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges album)|Side by Side]]'' (Verve, 1959) * ''[[Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues|Back to Back]]'' (Verve, 1959) '''With [[Ella Fitzgerald]]''' * ''[[Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook]]'' (1956, Verve) * ''[[Get Happy! (Ella Fitzgerald album)|Get Happy!]]'' (1959, Verve) * ''[[Hello, Love (Ella Fitzgerald album)|Hello, Love]]'' (1960, Verve) * ''[[Whisper Not (Ella Fitzgerald album)|Whisper Not]]'' (1967, Verve) * ''[[30 by Ella]]'' (1968, Capitol) * ''[[Ella Loves Cole]]'' (1972, Capitol) * ''[[Fine and Mellow (Ella Fitzgerald album)|Fine and Mellow]]'' (1974, Pablo) * ''[[All That Jazz (Ella Fitzgerald album)|All That Jazz]]'' (1989, Pablo) '''With [[Billie Holiday]]''' * ''[[Music for Torching (album)|Music for Torching]]'' (Norgran, 1955) * ''[[Velvet Mood]]'' ([[Clef Records|Clef]], 1956) * ''[[Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday album)|Lady Sings the Blues]]'' (Clef, 1956) * ''[[Body and Soul (Billie Holiday album)|Body and Soul]]'' (Verve, 1957) * ''[[Songs for Distingué Lovers]]'' (Verve, 1957) * ''[[All or Nothing at All (album)|All or Nothing at All]]'' (Verve, 1958) '''With [[Jo Jones]]''' * ''[[Vamp 'til Ready]]'' (Everest, 1960) * ''[[The Main Man]]'' (Pablo, 1977) '''With [[Quincy Jones]]''' * ''[[Go West, Man!]]'' ([[ABC Records|ABC]], 1957) * ''[[The Birth of a Band!]]'' (Mercury, 1959) * ''[[Quincy Plays for Pussycats]]'' (Mercury, 1965) - rec. 1959–1965 * ''[[Walk, Don't Run (soundtrack)|Walk, Don't Run]]'' (Verve, 1966) '''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,1956) – rec. 1955 * ''[[Way Up There]]'' (Atlantic, 1957) – rec. 1955 * ''[[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 (Frank Sinatra album)|Close to You]]'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''[[A Swingin' Affair!]]'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''[[Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely|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 (Sarah Vaughan album)|Dreamy]]'' (Roulette, 1960) * ''[[The Divine One]]'' (Roulette, 1961) '''With [[Lester Young]]''' * ''[[Going for Myself]]'' (Verve, 1958) – rec. 1957 * ''[[Laughin' to Keep from Cryin']]'' (Verve, 1958) '''With others''' * [[Harry Belafonte]], ''[[An Evening with Belafonte]]'' ([[RCA Victor]], 1957) * [[Bob Brookmeyer]] and [[Zoot Sims]], ''[[Stretching Out (Zoot Sims and Bob Brookmeyer album)|Stretching Out]]'' ([[United Artists Records|United Artists]], 1958) * [[Hoagy Carmichael]], ''[[Hoagy Sings Carmichael]]'' ([[Pacific Jazz]], 1956) * [[James Carter (musician)|James Carter]], ''[[Conversin' with the Elders]]'' (Atlantic, 1996) * [[Dolo Coker]], ''[[Third Down (album)|Third Down]]'' ([[Xanadu Records|Xanadu]], 1977) * [[Nat King Cole]], ''[[After Midnight (Nat King Cole album)|After Midnight]]'' (Capitol, 1957) * [[Clifford Coulter]], ''[[Do It Now! (Clifford Coulter album)|Do It Now!]]'' (Impulse!, 1971) * [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Buddy Bregman]], ''[[Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1956) * [[Sammy Davis Jr]], ''[[It's All Over but the Swingin']]'' ([[Decca Records|Decca]], 1957) * [[Billy Eckstine]], ''[[Billy's Best!]]'' (Mercury, 1958) * [[Herb Ellis]], ''[[Ellis in Wonderland]]'' (Verve, 1956) * [[Gil Fuller]], ''[[Gil Fuller & the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra featuring Dizzy Gillespie]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1965) * [[Dizzy Gillespie]], ''[[Jazz Recital]]'' (Norgran, 1955) * [[Jimmy Giuffre]], ''[[The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet]]'' (Atlantic, 1956) * [[Al Grey]], ''[[Shades of Grey (Al Grey album)|Shades of Grey]]'' (Tangerine, 1965) * [[Woody Herman]], ''[[Songs for Hip Lovers]]'' (Verve, 1957) * [[Red Holloway]], ''Live at the Floating Jazz Festival'' (Chiaroscuro, 1997) * [[Milt Jackson]], ''[[Memphis Jackson]]'' (Impulse!, 1969) * [[Illinois Jacquet]], ''[[Illinois Jacquet and His Orchestra]]'' (Verve, 1956) * [[Budd Johnson]], ''[[Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants]]'' (Riverside, 1960) * [[Barney Kessel]], ''[[To Swing or Not to Swing]]'' ([[Contemporary Records|Contemporary]], 1955) * [[Carole King]], ''[[Rhymes & Reasons (Carole King album)|Rhymes & Reasons]]'' ([[A&M Records|A&M]] 1972) * [[B.B. King]], ''[[Live at the Apollo (B. B. King album)|Live at the Apollo]]'' (1991) * [[Gene Krupa]] and [[Buddy Rich]], ''[[Krupa and Rich]]'' (Clef, 1956) * [[Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross]], ''[[The Hottest New Group in Jazz]]'' (Columbia, 1960) * [[Modern Jazz Quartet]], ''[[MJQ & Friends: A 40th Anniversary Celebration]]'' (Atlantic, 1994) * [[The Pointer Sisters]], ''[[That's a Plenty (Pointer Sisters album)|That's a Plenty]]'' (Blue Thumb, 1974) * [[Paul Quinichette]], ''[[Like Basie!]]'' (United Artists, 1959) * [[Nancy Wilson (jazz singer)|Nancy Wilson]], ''[[The Sound of Nancy Wilson]]'' (Capitol, 1968) * [[Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams]], ''[[Joe Williams Live! A Swingin' Night at Birdland]]'' (Roulette, 1962) * [[Teddy Wilson]], ''Teddy Wilson & His All Stars'' ([[Chiaroscuro Records|Chiaroscuro]], 1995) * V.A. ''[[Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72]]'' (Pablo, 1973) * V.A. ''[[Jazz at the Philharmonic – Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1983: Return to Happiness]]'' (1983, Pablo) {{div col end}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{AllMusic |class=artist |id=p6443}} *{{Discogs artist}} *{{IMDb name|0249377}} *{{Find a Grave|22997}} {{Harry Edison}} {{Count Basie Orchestra}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Edison, Harry}} [[Category:1915 births]] [[Category:1999 deaths]] [[Category:Swing trumpeters]] [[Category:Mainstream jazz trumpeters]] [[Category:American jazz trumpeters]] [[Category:American male trumpeters]] [[Category:Count Basie Orchestra members]] [[Category:Sue Records artists]] [[Category:Verve Records artists]] [[Category:Vee-Jay Records artists]] [[Category:Columbia Records artists]] [[Category:Musicians from Columbus, Ohio]] [[Category:20th-century American musicians]] [[Category:Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky]] [[Category:Jazz musicians from Kentucky]] [[Category:American male jazz musicians]] [[Category:Mills Blue Rhythm Band members]] [[Category:Jeter-Pillars Orchestra members]] [[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States]] [[Category:Deaths from cancer in Ohio]] [[Category:NEA Jazz Masters]]
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