Search - Harry Edison :: Swinger & Mr Swing

The two LPs that together compose this double-CD package are classic Sweets Edison. The time is tight on each track, with the clop of swing's tempos the prime modus operandi of Edison's bands. With tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest in the slender quintet's frontline for both these 1958 sessions, The Swinger and Mr. Swing share what you might consider some creative tension between brawn and relaxation. The laconic tunes are each imbued with lots of relaxed blowing, but Forrest in particular loves a big, mod sound that evinces his own hard-bop leanings. Pianist Jimmy Jones, too, shares dual footings in Swing Era comping and bop-era harmonic constructions, not to mention his crisp phrasing that brings to mind John Lewis. Sweets managed to record scores of sessions that speak to his clear, sweet tone and his economy of phrasing. Regarding these aspects, he was a consummate player to live and play through countless jazz revisions and a few stylistic revolutions. He died of prostate cancer on July 27, 1999, at 83 years of age. --Andrew Bartlett