Jazz guitar great Herb Ellis passed away March 28. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1921, Ellis studied music briefly at North Texas State University. In the early ’40s he played and recorded with Jimmy Dorsey, leaving to form the popular Soft Winds group in 1947. In 1952 he replaced Barney Kessel in the Oscar Peterson Trio (which also featured bassist Ray Brown). The group has been called “one of the most memorable of all the piano, guitar, and bass trios in jazz history.” The trio made a huge impact on jazz, both with their own recordings and performances and as the backup band for a long list of jazz greats. Ellis left the Trio in 1958 and toured with Ella Fitzgerald in 1959 and 1960. Following this, he worked in television and movies, and released recordings under his own name and with various groups. His recordings on the Concord label with Joe Pass and with the Great Guitars, a group that also included Barney Kessel and Charlie Byrd, are acclaimed as modern classics.
Our condolences to his family and friends.