Harry "Sweets" Edison

[Milestones]

Any fans of Harry "Sweets" Edison?

He seems to be something of a forgotten player.  I guess people usually recall him as being in Basie's orchestra during their early peak.  But he had a long and diverse career with his sweet but decidedly jazzy style.  He backed singers a lot, including Sinatra and Nat King Cole on After Midnight (that's Sweets on the immortal "Route 66").  He put out quite a bit of small group work on Verve and later on Pablo.  With Verve you can hear him on several of Lester Young's last recordings, as well as with the great Ben Webster.  On Pablo we hear him with Basie, Oscar Peterson, Zoot Sims, and others.  Check out Sweets and Clark Terry together on Basie's Get Together.

We don't think of him as producing great albums (generally true of the swing guys), but there is a wealth of material that is never less than outstanding from Sweets Edison.

Just check out his opening on "Hanging Out" (Basie Jam), that wonderful late-night blues vibe.

 

 

 

 

 

[jazzbo]

A great player with an identifiable style. I really like his albums for Roulette and Verve as a leader. I reach for the 2 cd set from Verve in the "Elite Edition" series a lot:

https://www.discogs.com/release/8703620-Harry-Edison-The-Swinger-and-Mr-Swing

 

[Big Beat Steve]

Beyond the Basie Orchestra, I'd been exposed to him early on on the "Pres and Sweets" LP on Verve. Nice enough by any yardstick.

For "starters" (or to refresh memories), I'd suggest this as a taster:
https://www.discogs.com/de/release/9854593-Harry-Edison-Seven-Classic-Albums
(yes, this sort of compilation is understandably frowned upon in some circles, but to listen in before upgrading it's not the worst starting point.)

I wouldn't really describe his style as "sweet", BTW - that term brings to mind lots of other trumpet men, starting with a sizable deal of the output of Harry James, for example (yes I know he could do differently too - particularly with his post-war big bands).

And, re- the starting post, why would it be "generally true of the swing guys" that they did not produce "great albums"? Could it be that such statements maybe come from where the inclinations are above all towards "modern jazz" (hard bop and beyond)? 

Edited July 9 by Big Beat Steve

[HutchFan]

I love "Sweets"!

IIRC, I first became aware of him while listening to this album:

And this one followed shortly thereafter:

[Dan Gould]

Sweets is an all-time favorite, without a doubt.

Not "sweet" as BBS mentions. And definitely not "jazzy" - JAZZ.

Countless small group recordings from the Verve years to the end of his life can be recommended.

Sweets with Ben is a great combo but he also made several with Buddy Tate that are very nice.

[JSngry]

Rumored to be the only man to have recorded with both Billie Holiday & Frank Sinatra!

He was not limited to his trademark style or sparse interjections. He could ramp it up with the best of them!

 

[Milestones]

A talented player to be sure, with the ability to play fast and set off fireworks.   

[Stonewall15]

Excellent session on Pacific Jazz "Sweets at The Haig".

[Dan Gould]

Here's a good 'un, and we should also take note of the many collaborations Sweets had with Lockjaw.

[Stompin at the Savoy]

I think this is similar to the one Steve was referring to.  Depending on how much you have already it can be a pretty good start. 

Edited July 9 by Stompin at the Savoy

[JSngry]

Here he is, popping up out of someplace else wearing a Harmon mask:

This was my first exposure to Sweets and I had a hard time reconciling this guy with somebody who supposedly played in the 30s Basie band. Time took care of that, of course, but it goes to show you to pay attention to everybody who's on a record, because by god, there WILL be  a test later! 

[HutchFan]

15 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

we should also take note of the many collaborations Sweets had with Lockjaw

Yes!  This one is a prime example:

[medjuck]

Gotta admit I first heard him on a Lamberts, Hendricks and Ross Lp.  Then noticed him on earlier Basie records.  Saw him in a club when I  moved to LA in '80.  A pick up group with Bob Cooper tenor.  Good stuff!

[Milestones]

Can anyone point out some of Edison's solos on Basie's Decca records?

 

[medjuck]

38 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Can anyone point out some of Edison's solos on Basie's Decca records?

 

And the Angels Sing, 12th St. Rag, Miss Thing, Lonesome Miss Pretty, Bolero at the Savoy, Pound Cake, The Apple Jump.......

[Gheorghe]

Saw him together with Eddie Lockjaw Davis live. They seemed to tour together and also made a record I think for Pablo, which was the main label for "Mainstream Jazz" in the 70´s. The gig I saw must have been around the same time.

[mjzee]

 

 

 

Huh, site started acting wonky; wouldn't let me edit or post.  Had to switch to a different browser.

What I meant to say:

Add Sonny Stitt, and you have this:

[hopkins]

On 7/9/2025 at 4:18 PM, jazzbo said:

A great player with an identifiable style. I really like his albums for Roulette and Verve as a leader. I reach for the 2 cd set from Verve in the "Elite Edition" series a lot:

https://www.discogs.com/release/8703620-Harry-Edison-The-Swinger-and-Mr-Swing

 

Very nice album. Jimmy Jones and Jimmy Forest are the stars of the show, IMO.

[Holy Ghost]

On 7/9/2025 at 10:18 AM, jazzbo said:

A great player with an identifiable style. I really like his albums for Roulette and Verve as a leader. I reach for the 2 cd set from Verve in the "Elite Edition" series a lot:

https://www.discogs.com/release/8703620-Harry-Edison-The-Swinger-and-Mr-Swing

 

Sweets! I have a story about this set. I was at a CD bargain basement sort of a place somewhere (San Antonio?) in 2010 or so on vacation and the Sweets 2 CD elite set was there used for $30, but the discs were shabby, but they had a CD cleaning machine, so while cleaning them, the dude went berserk on the second disc and scratched it out and told me he couldn’t sell it to me because of the damage; he said it's unsellable and that he had to throw the set away. I said, well I'll just wait until you close and when throw it out in the trash, I’ll root for it myself. Long story short, he called the manager, and she gave the wave to gift it to me, avoiding me rooting through their trash. Side note, the dude polishing the second CD did fuck it up, but it mostly plays. I had every intension to buy the set, but I did wind up getting the set for FREE!!

Edited Friday at 04:44 PM by Holy Ghost

[Big Beat Steve]

On 7/11/2025 at 6:35 PM, Holy Ghost said:

Sweets! I have a story about this set. I was at a CD bargain basement sort of a place somewhere (San Antonio?) in 2010 or so on vacation and the Sweets 2 CD elite set was there used for $30, but the discs were shabby, but they had a CD cleaning machine, so while cleaning them, the dude went berserk on the second disc and scratched it out and told me he couldn’t sell it to me because of the damage; he said it's unsellable and that he had to throw the set away. I said, well I'll just wait until you close and when throw it out in the trash, I’ll root for it myself. Long story short, he called the manager, and she gave the wave to gift it to me, avoiding me rooting through their trash. Side note, the dude polishing the second CD did fuck it up, but it mostly plays. I had every intension to buy the set, but I did wind up getting the set for FREE!!

If found cheaply, the RGJ public domain box set I listed in my earlier post should be perfect for you to get a fully playable copy of that disc, then. It includes both LPs. 

[Holy Ghost]

10 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

If found cheaply, the RGJ public domain box set I listed in my earlier post should be perfect for you to get a fully playable copy of that disc, then. It includes both LPs. 

The second disc plays fine until the last five minutes or so!