Wayne Wilkinson Features Herb Ellis on Jazz Tracks Thursday, October 15

Each Week on Jazz Tracks, premiere jazz guitarist Wayne Wilkinson features a jazz guitarist of note. This week Wayne reminisces on the artistry of Herb Ellis.

Wayne’s example picks for Ellis are Autumn Leaves and The Shadow of Your Smile with Joe Pass.

Brief bio:

Mitchell Herbert Ellis, known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. In addition to their great live and recorded work as the Oscar Peterson Trio, this unit usually with the addition of a drummer, served as the virtual “house rhythm section” for Norman Granz’s Verve Records, supporting the likes of tenor men Ben Webster and Stan Getz, as well as trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, and Sweets Edison and other jazz stalwarts. Ellis was part of the rhythm section but did not solo on every track. With drummer Buddy Rich, they were also the backing band for popular “comeback” albums by the duet of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Link to the official site of Wayne Wilkinson.

Dates of Future Features:

• George Benson – October 22

• Pat Martino – October 29