Oscar Peterson Trio, from left to right; Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson. © Arnold van Kampen (Netherlands). Reproduced with the permission of Arnold van Kampen

You saw the greatness immediately. He was awesome right away - always. He's grown and is a lot deeper musically but he was great from the start... I think he should be right there with the innovators and the greatest instrumentalists like Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz. I think he's the greatest piano player we've ever had, including Art Tatum.1

- Herb Ellis (on Oscar Peterson)


Herb Ellis was born in Farmersville, Texas on August 4, 1921. His professional career began while he was in his 20s, playing in the Casa Loma Orchestra. He followed this with a two-year stint with Jimmy Dorsey (1945-1947) and some time with the Soft Winds trio. In 1953, while he was playing with this band, Oscar Peterson first noticed him during a performance in Buffalo. Impressed with his abilities and in need of a replacement for Barney Kessel, Peterson offered the struggling musician a job in his band. Ellis accepted and they remained together until 1958. The Peterson, Ellis, Ray Brown trio was generally considered the most popular of Oscar Peterson's trios. (It was also Peterson's personal favourite.) The three worked wonderfully together, recording an astounding 111 albums, most of which were produced between 1953 and 1958. 2

Early Oscar Peterson Trio, from left to right; Herb Ellis, Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown. © Please view disclaimer

Firmly established as a dynamic musician, Ellis went on to accompany Ella Fitzgerald on her tours and recordings from 1958 to 1962. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he worked in Los Angeles as a TV and studio musician, but by 1973 he had joined forces with Joe Pass and recorded a number of albums. He later formed the group Great Guitars with Charlie Byrd and Barney Kessel.

In 1990, Ellis reunited with Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown to perform at the Blue Note clubs in Japan and New York. Four live albums (Live at the Blue Note, Saturday Night at the Blue Note, Last Call at the Blue Note and Encore at the Blue Note) were produced as a result of this reunion

Herb Ellis and Oscar Peterson in 1990. © Please view disclaimer

Strongly influenced by Charlie Christian's swinging, bluesy style, Herb Ellis's playing produces "an earthy quality few of his peers can match". 3 He is also considered one of the most technically accomplished jazz guitarists of all time.


Selected Recordings:

The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival (1956, Verve 8024)
The Midnight Roll (1962, Epic 17034)
Rhythm Willie, with Joe Pass (1975, Conc. 10)


Footnotes

1 Lees, Gene.   Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing.   Rocklin, California: Prima Publishing & Communications, 1990.

2 Larkin, Colin.   The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.   United Kingdom: Muze Ltd, 1988.

3 Claghorn, Charles.   Biographical Dictionary of Jazz.   London: Prentice-Hall Inc, 1982.

O.P. & Friends

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