Harry Edison

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.

In 1933, he became a member of the Jeter–Pillars Orchestra in Cleveland.

"Sweets" Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Basie Band and as an occasional composer and arranger for the band. In 1956, he recorded the first of three albums with Ben Webster. On Sinatra's albums, 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. As Will Friedwald wrote in his 2018 book Sinatra! The Song is You, "Edison in particular was a past master at saying an awful lot in a very few notes, and most of his parts on Sinatra records consist of merely an extremely well-placed handful of beeps."

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 The Hollywood Palace and The Leslie Uggams Show, specials with Frank Sinatra; prominently featured on the soundtrack and in the soundtrack 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. He was the Los Angeles Jazz Society's first Tribute Honoree.

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 The Swinger (Verve, 1958) Mr. Swing (Verve, 1958 ) 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 ) 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 Memories Ad-Lib (Roulette, 1958) Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959) Hollywood...Basie's Way (Command, 1967) Basie's Beat (Verve, 1967) Basie's in the Bag (Brunswick, 1967) Standing Ovation (Dot, 1969) The Original American Decca Recordings (GRP, 1992) – rec. 1937–1939 Live at the Sands (Before Frank) (Reprise, 1998) –rec. 1966

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 Ray Bryant Madison Time (Columbia, 1960) Dancing the Big Twist (Columbia, 1961)

With Benny Carter Wonderland (Pablo, 1986) – rec. 1976 Elegy in Blue (MusicMasters, 1994)

With Duke Ellington with Johnny Hodges Side by Side (Verve, 1959) Back to Back (Verve, 1959)

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 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 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, 1965) - rec. 1959–1965 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 (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 (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 (United Artists, 1958) Hoagy Carmichael, Hoagy Sings Carmichael (Pacific Jazz, 1956) James Carter, Conversin' with the Elders (Atlantic, 1996) Dolo Coker, Third Down (Xanadu, 1977) Nat King Cole, After Midnight (Capitol, 1957) Clifford Coulter, Do It Now! (Impulse!, 1971) Bing Crosby and Buddy Bregman, Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings (Verve, 1956) Sammy Davis Jr, It's All Over but the Swingin' (Decca, 1957) Billy Eckstine, Billy's Best! (Mercury, 1958) Herb Ellis, Ellis in Wonderland (Verve, 1956) Herb Ellis and Ray Brown, Soft Shoe (Concord Jazz, 1974) 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 (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, 1955) Carole King, Rhymes & Reasons (A&M 1972) B.B. King, 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)

Paul Quinichette, Like Basie! (United Artists, 1959) Nancy Wilson, The Sound of Nancy Wilson (Capitol, 1968) Joe Williams, Joe Williams Live! A Swingin' Night at Birdland (Roulette, 1962) Teddy Wilson, Teddy Wilson & His All Stars (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)