Harry "Sweets" Edison, Classic jazz Artist

Harry “Sweets” Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999)

Harry “Sweets” Edison was a jazz trumpeter/musician, and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. He came to prominence as a soloist with the band, and also an occasional composer/arranger for the band.

Edison spent thirteen years with Basie, and after the band was temporarily disbanded in 1950, pursued a varied career as leader of his own groups, traveling with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and freelancing with other orchestras. During this period, he appeared in the 1944 film Jammin’ the Blues.

Born: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Genre: Jazz, Swing

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Harry “Sweets” Edison spent his early childhood in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was introduced to music by an uncle. After returning to Columbus at the age of twelve, the young Edison began playing the trumpet with local bands.

In 1933, Edison became a member of the Jeter-Pillars Orchestra in Cleveland. After that he played with the Mills Blue Rhythm Band and Lucky Millinder.

In 1937, Edison 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.

In a 2003 interview for the National Museum of American History, drummer Elvin Jones explained the origin of Edison’s nickname: “Sweets had so many lady friends, he was such a handsome man. He had all these girls all over him all the time, that’s why they called him Sweets.”

Harry “Sweets” Edison came to prominence as a soloist with the Basie Band and as an occasional composer/arranger for the band. Edison spent thirteen years with Basie, and after the band was temporarily disbanded in 1950, pursued a varied career as leader of his own groups, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic, and freelancing with other orchestras. During this period, he appeared in the 1944 film Jammin’ the Blues.

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, and Ella Fitzgerald. In 1956, he recorded the first of three albums with Ben Webster.

According to a Jazz Encyclopedia publication of the seventies, in the 1960s and 1970s, Edison continued to work in many orchestras on television shows, including Hollywood Palace and The Leslie Uggams Show, specials with Frank Sinatra, and prominently featured on the sound track and in the sound track album of the film “Lady Sings the Blues”.

In 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 at his home in Columbus, Ohio, on July 27, 1999, at the age of 83.

 Biographical information courtesy of Wiki; for more reading see link below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Edison