Most of the stories that followed tied Herb Ellis to the Oscar Peterson Trio, the one that had Ray Brown on bass; and while that can be understood, it didn't fully represent Ellis's career, which had many more chapters to it than his time with O.P. (As did Brown's. In fact, one of the tastiest, lighthearted jazz outings one can find is on a CD called "Soft Shoe," with a quintet led by Messrs. Ellis and Brown.)
There are scores of recordings featuring Herb Ellis's guitar, which could move easily from Texas blues to mainstream swing to bebop, but one the Pointless Digressions crew remembers with particular pleasure is "Rhythm Freddie," a duet date with Freddie Green, Basie's longtime rhythm guitarist.
Herb Ellis's first instrument was the harmonica, which he started playing when he was three. He told Royal Stokes that he tried the banjo next, and then picked up a guitar someone "left at my house, just left there." He taught himself to play it, and, even though he majored in music at college, he never had a guitar lesson.
Our favorite Herb Ellis story comes from an evening when he was part of the Peterson Trio. Oscar played a blistering, smoking solo; Ray Brown took off on the bass; then it was Herb's time to solo. Instead, he got up and did a little dance around the stage.
Gotta love a guy like that.
Okay, it's "Rhythm Willie." Brain jumped the tracks. Also of note, from various stages of HE's career: "The Soft winds," "HE Meets Jimmy Giuffre," "HE at Montreux," and "The Dizzy Gillespie-Stan Getz Quintet." Now stop phoning.
ReplyDeleteOkay, it's "Rhythm Willie." Brain jumped the tracks. Also of note, from various stages of H.E.'s career: "The Soft Winds," "H.E. Meets Jimmy Giuffre," "H.E. at Montreux," "Texas Swing" and "The Dizzy Gillespie-Stan Getz Quintet." Now stop phoning.
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