Harry "Sweets" Edison - Simply Sweets (Pablo)

Thumbing leisurely through the Pablo titles in my collection, of which there are surprisingly many, I recently pulled this album for some afternoon easy listening. Davis’ collaborations with Edison constituted the third successful pairing (not counting the Count) of his career. Both men changed their vernaculars little over the years. Sweets was a master of understatement, speaking volumes with just a handful of notes. Jaws had a tone that contorted and distorted like an image in a funhouse mirror, but always seemed apposite to his surroundings and attuned to cerulean hues. As first tier alumni of Basie, both could swing with the best. This welterweight date comes from relatively late in either man’s oeuvre. Though the songbook is relatively slight (there’s a better selection on Edison’s Lights, an album recorded a year and a half earlier, partially in the company of the Count) and consists mainly of easy to swallow blues, it still works well for the sort of relaxed blowing that Edison and Davis opt for. Largely anonymous bassist Harvey Newmark and journeyman drummer Jimmie Smith don’t light any fireworks either, but the presence of neo-bopper Dolo Coker brings the rhythm section up a notch. The cover shot of Sweets, replete with lamb chop sideburns, damp process, hippie medallion and wide-lapelled leisure shirt pretty much encapsulates the session vibe. Coker’s turns on electric piano and the crew’s Pall Mall-scented stroll through “Feelings” offer other clues. Even with these subjective minuses, the two principals still keep the swing torch lit and any LP that opens with a tune titled “Dirty Butt Blues” has to have some entertainment cachet, right?