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Herb Ellis |
Texas-born guitarist, Herb Ellis, was introduced to the majesty of the guitar by another Texas-alumny, jazz guitar legend, Charlie Christian. Christian's famous recordings with Benny Goodman's ground-breaking group of the late thirties and early forties were the driving force behind Herb's desire to learn and play. Ellis taught himself the basics of the instrument before attending North Texas State University where he majored in bass violin simply because there were no guitar instructors in the music program at that time. After a couple of years of college, Ellis fled to Kansas City and began his professional career, teaming up first with The Casa Loma Orchestra and then later, in 1945, Jimmy Dorsey's band. In 1947, he formed the greatly under-appreciated and under-recorded group, Soft Winds, with pianist Lou Carter and violinist/bassist, Johnny Frigo. In 1953, he became a member of the "Oscar Peterson Trio" and after he left in 1959, he accompanied Ella Fitzgerald. His work in Peterson's trio initiated a long-lasting friendship and working relation with bassist and Thomastik-Infeld endorsing artist, Ray Brown, with whom he has been recording and performing for over forty-three years. Included among their projects are the very first three records for Concord Jazz. In the 60s, already known the world around for his recordings with Louis Armstrong, Peterson, Stan Getz, Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Carter, he began working in a duo with Charlie Byrd. Similar encounters with Joe Pass and Barney Kessel in 1974, led to the foundation of the Great Guitars. Along with his work in all different kinds of ensembles Herb Ellis conducts workshops. Throughout his remarkable career, Ellis has maintained a steady flow of recorded output and touring. To this day, he still spends half of his time on the road. His Herb Ellis Trio will be on tour again in January 1999. (source of this text: www.jazzpages.com
and Concord
Jazz.) |