Herb Ellis

A guitarist rooted in bop with an added hint of country inflection, Herb Ellis rose to prominence through his tenure in the Oscar Peterson Trio from 1953 to 1958. Earlier he had studied at North Texas State University and performed alongside the Casa Loma Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey between 1945 and 1947, and the under-documented Soft Winds trio. During his years with Peterson he appeared on several Jazz at the Philharmonic engagements and found occasional chances to headline his own Verve sessions, one of which—Nothing But the Blues from 1957—he regarded as especially satisfying. Upon departing the trio Ellis traveled briefly with Ella Fitzgerald, worked as a studio musician on the West Coast, recorded with the Dukes of Dixieland, Stuff Smith, and Charlie Byrd, and grew far more visible in jazz circles during the 1970s. He featured on Concord’s first three issues, trading ideas with Joe Pass across the opening pair, and joined the Great Guitars alongside Byrd and Barney Kessel for extensive touring that spanned the 1970s and 1980s. Following an extended run of Concord releases he completed two strong Justice dates in the 1990s and issued Burnin’ on Acoustic Music in 1999. After a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, Herb Ellis passed away at his Los Angeles residence on March 28, 2010, at the age of 88.