Herb Ellis

Oscar Peterson Trio with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown: Vancouver 1958

by Pierre Giroux
July 8, 2023

This iteration of the Oscar Peterson Trio, with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown, had been together for five years at the time of this recording, but it was reaching its expiration date. Following appearances at The Vancouver Jazz Festival on August 4 and 8, 1958, there was only one further instance of the trio recording together that year, and that was for KABC-TV Stars of Jazz on August 18,1958 after which Herb Ellis left the band. The principals ...

Jazz/Concord

by Mark Barnett
July 17, 2017

Getting Started If you're new to jazz, go to our Getting Into Jazz primer for some hints on how to listen. CD capsule Two masters of the jazz guitar in a wonderful give-and-take session, listening to each other as they play and playing as one. The emotion is contagious, the songs well chosen, the sound pristine. A perfect union. Background Guitarist Herb Ellis had a remarkable talent for connecting musically ...

In Memoriam: Herb Ellis (1921-2010)

by AAJ Staff
May 15, 2010

I met Herbie way before he joined Oscar Peterson, going back to at least 1953. Herb worked for me, and he also recorded with me a few times. He worked with me on the Steve Allen show--he and Barney Kessel would take turns. There was also a group with Buddy DeFranco and a tribute to Benny Goodman with Buddy and Herb. Herbie was not only a great soloist, he was the best guitarist for any rhythm section. Boy, could he ...

Ben Webster: Soulville

by John Ballon
October 27, 2003

I accidentally lucked into the music of Ben Webster while sifting through the “W" section of some dusty used record bin years ago. The cover looked cool, with its classic profile shot of an unsmiling, world-weary Webster featured beneath the boldly printed title, Soulville. I impulsively bought the disc, took it home, and a few days later got around to playing it. Whoa! Had I stumbled onto something BIG? From that record on, I no longer thought of jazz as ...

Ben Webster: Soulville

by David Rickert
May 11, 2003

A photograph on the inside of Soulville 's CD cover shows Webster with his head tilted back, eyelids drooping and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. It’s a great photo, simply because Webster approaches soloing in much the same way. A relaxed and patient improviser who first made his name with Ellington’s band playing one definitive solo after another, the tenor saxophonist really blossomed once he struck out as a solo artist where he wasn’t boxed in by the confines ...

Ellis/Pass/Brown/Hanna: Arrival

by AAJ Staff
February 4, 2003

Concord Records is celebrating its 30th Anniversary, and what better way than to reissue the first two records which helped put it on the map as one of the most consistent mainstream jazz recording labels.The recent double-disc set, Arrival, is in actuality Jazz/Concord, the label’s official debut release of ’73 done in the studio, and its follow-up Seven, Come Eleven, recorded live the day after, though not released until the following year. Both include the wonderfully paired guitarists Herb Ellis ...

Herb Ellis & Remo Palmier: Windflower

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
September 23, 2021

In the 1970s, Concord recorded many great jazz albums, especially ones by guitarists. Back in 2010, I posted on Barney Kessel's Soaring, which has long been a favorite. Another Concord winner is Herb Ellis and Remo Palmier's Windflower, a perfect album released in 1978. The two guitarists were backed by George Duvivier on bass and Ron Traxler on drums. Elllis was best known as a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1953 to 1958. He also composed Detour Ahead ...
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Music Education Monday: Soloing and comping with guitarist Herb Ellis

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
June 20, 2016

The late guitarist Herb Ellis was known as a master of blues-inflected mainstream swing, and today for Music Education Monday, you can get a video lesson from him in jazz soloing and comping. Ellis, who died in 2010, started his career in the 1940s as a big band guitarist, playing with Glen Gray and Jimmy Dorsey, but first gained wide notice as a member of pianist Oscar Peterson's trio from 1953 to 1958. After that, he spent three years performing ...
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Herb Ellis + Barney Kessel (Late '80s)

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 30, 2012

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Jazz Musician of the Day: Herb Ellis

Source:
August 4, 2011

All About Jazz is celebrating Herb Ellis' birthday today!

Mitchell Herbert (Herb) Ellis (born August 4, 1921) is an American jazz guitarist. Growing up just outdside of Dallas, Texas, Ellis first heard the electric guitar performed by George Barnes on a radio show. This experience inspired him to take up the guitar, and he became proficient on the instrument by the time he entered North Texas State University as a music major. While in college Ellis heard recordings of Charlie ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Herb Ellis

Source:
August 4, 2010

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Remembering Herb Ellis Memorial April 30th

Source: Michael Ricci
May 2, 2010

Herb Ellis, a jazz guitarist perhaps best known for his work with the influential Oscar Peterson Trio, has died. He was 88. Ellis, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday morning March 28th at his home in Los Angeles, said his son, Mitch. During his long and varied career, Ellis played with Jimmy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald. He also worked as a studio musician and played in the bands of several television shows, including Steve Allen's and Merv Griffin's. There have ...
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Herb Ellis, "Texas Swings" (1992)

Source: Something Else!
April 2, 2010

Today, we remember Texas jazz guitarist Herb Ellis, who has passed at 88 in his Los Angeles home after a long bout with Alzheimer's. Over a career that spanned six decades, Ellis worked with a number of legends, including Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong and in the classic line-up of the acclaimed Oscar Peterson Trio. Here's one of our favorite Ellis recordings, from off the beaten path:

NICK DERISO: When you think of Herb Ellis, it's bound to be ...
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Herb Ellis, Jazz Guitarist, is Dead at 88

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2010

Herb Ellis, a jazz guitarist whose polished, blues-inflected playing earned him critical acclaim as an outstanding soloist and worldwide recognition as a member of the pianist Oscar Peterson's trio, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88. The cause was Alzheimer's disease, said his son, Mitch. Mr. Ellis was an early disciple of Charlie Christian, whose deft improvisations, built on long single-note lines, established the template for modern jazz guitar in the 1940s. But he was always ...
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Herb Ellis Guitarist with Oscar Peterson Trio Dies

Source: Michael Ricci
March 31, 2010

Herb Ellis, a jazz guitarist perhaps best known for his work with the influential Oscar Peterson Trio, has died. He was 88. Ellis, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles, said his son, Mitch. During his long and varied career, Ellis played with Jimmy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald. He also worked as a studio musician and played in the bands of several television shows, including Steve Allen's and Merv Griffin's. “There have been changes ...
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Herb Ellis Dies at 88; Jazz Guitarist

Source: Michael Ricci
March 30, 2010

He was perhaps best known for his work with the Oscar Peterson Trio but also played with Jimmy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald during his long and varied career. Herb Ellis, a jazz guitarist perhaps best known for his work with the influential Oscar Peterson Trio, has died. He was 88. Ellis, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles, said his son, Mitch. During his long and varied career, Ellis played with Jimmy Dorsey and ...
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