Harry Sweets Edison

Jazz has had its share of reputed halls of fame over the years, but they've been mostly promotional gimmicks that quickly faded. The only one that carries any weight is the American Jazz Masters series, an unofficial Jazz Hall of Fame sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The 1992 honorees, to be announced today in Washington, D.C., are trumpeter Harry (Sweets) Edison, pianist Dorothy Donegan and singer Betty Carter. Each will receive a $20,000 award.

Harry "Sweets" Edison, a master of the jazz trumpet who was a mainstay of the Count Basie band, died Tuesday at his daughter's home in Columbus, Ohio. The cause of death was prostate cancer, which he had been fighting for several years. He was 83. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Edison had that rarest of qualities, an utterly individual style.

Harry "Sweets" Edison, a master of the jazz trumpet who was a mainstay of the Count Basie band, died Tuesday at his daughter's home in Columbus, Ohio. The cause of death was prostate cancer, which he had been fighting for several years. He was 83. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Edison had that rarest of qualities, an utterly individual style.

Jazz has had its share of reputed halls of fame over the years, but they've been mostly promotional gimmicks that quickly faded. The only one that carries any weight is the American Jazz Masters series, an unofficial Jazz Hall of Fame sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The 1992 honorees, to be announced today in Washington, D.C., are trumpeter Harry (Sweets) Edison, pianist Dorothy Donegan and singer Betty Carter. Each will receive a $20,000 award.

Jazzy News: Three jazz greats--singer Betty Carter, pianist Dorothy Donegan and trumpeter Harry (Sweets) Edison--were named to the Jazz Hall of Fame of the National Endowment for the Arts during the weekend. Each of the 1991 American Jazz Masters Fellowship winners will receive $20,000, to be presented Jan. 10 at a concert in Miami featuring the Count Basie Orchestra. Donegan and Edison are Los Angeles residents.

The Los Angeles Jazz Society announced 10 nominees for its fifth annual tribute award to a local artist on Tuesday. They are Ray Brown, Monty Budwig, Red Callender, Conte Candoli, Benny Carter, Bob Cooper, Teddy Edwards, Victor Feldman, Joe Pass and Marshal Royal. The winner will be announced May 31 and will appear at the society's award concert Sept. 13. Among previous honorees: Harry (Sweets) Edison (1983), Shelly Manne (1984), John Collins (1985) and Jimmy Rowles (1986).

A long list of jazz bands and musicians, including Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Smith, the Frank Capp Juggernaut, Teddy Edwards Brass/String Ensemble, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Larance Marable, John Heard, Sherman Ferguson, Billy Mitchell, John Bolivar, Al Williams and others, are scheduled to appear Sunday in a benefit concert, "Hello Ernie: A Tribute to Ernie and Dolores Andrews and Family" at the Musicians' Union, 817 N. Vine St., 1-6 p.m. Admission: $20 donation. Information: (818) 893-0024.

Friends and admirers of Ella Fitzgerald, from a 15-year-old tap dancer to trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, will perform at an American Heart Assn. fund-raiser honoring the singer. The Feb. 12 show at Avery Fisher Hall in New York includes performances by tap dancer Savion Glover, George Shearing, Linda Ronstadt, Cab Calloway, Andre Previn, Joe Williams, Honi Coles and the Copasetics, Bobby McFerrin, Manhattan Transfer and opera diva Jessye Norman.

Here is the order of apperance for the acts at the Playboy Jazz Festival on Saturday and Sunday. The lineup is subject to change. Saturday, 2:30 to 11 p.m.: Cal State Long Beach Jazz Band; Newport All-Stars with George Wein, Slam Stewart and others; Rare Silk; Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers; George Howard; Yellowjackets; Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass; Mel Torme; Miles Davis; Andrae Crouch. Sunday, 2 p.m. 10:30 p.m.: Hennessy Jazz Search winner; L.A.

John McLaughlin's ability to play so fast that his notes sometimes blur in your ear may be the most striking aspect of his performances, but the acclaimed guitarist insists that facility is hardly his stock in trade. "I don't think fast or slow. The point is to put all of my elements at the disposal of the music, so that I can play as spontaneously as possible, as if I were speaking," says McLaughlin, 50, who appears Thursday with his trio at the Variety in downtown Los Angeles.

Jazz. The two-day "Jazz at Drew" festival bill includes Angela Bofill, Norman Connors and his Starship Orchestra, Charles Brown, Teddy Edwards Brass String Ensemble, Trumpet Masters with Harry "Sweets" Edison, Art Farmer, Jon Faddis, Oscar Brashear, Cedar Walton, Joe Williams with the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Freddy Cole and many others, Oct. 3-4. Benefits Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science education programs. Gates open at noon, show at 1 p.m. 1730 E. 120th St., Los Angeles.