Herb Ellis Licks

Herb Ellis was born in 1921 in Texas. He attended the North Texas State University where he majored in bass (they didn't have a guitar program). His classmates included Jimmy Giuffre and Gene Roland. His guitar playing is bebop based and his biggest influence is Charlie Christian.

Not being able to pay the college funds, he quit school and started touring with the Casa Loma Band in 1943 and after that the Jimmy Dorsey band. He played with Jimmy Dorsey until 1947 when he formed The Soft Winds with Lou Carter and John Frigo. When they broke up in 1952 he joined the Oscar Peterson Trio, the band that brought fame to Herb Ellis. Oscar Peterson had a special liking for playing up tempo.

After Oscar Peterson he recorded some albums as a leader, worked as a studio musician on the West Coast and did sessions with a lot of people, including Charlie Byrd.

In the 70s Herb Ellis recorded two albums with Joe Pass, Two for the Road and Jazz/Concord. He also toured with The Great Guitars (the other two guitars being Charlie Byrd and Barney Kessel).

Herb Ellis now lives in Arkansas and runs a publishing/production/education company called Herb Ellis Music.

Recommended listening: Nothing But the Blues

II-V-I Lick

1) This guitar lick is played by Herb Ellis as the ending for the standard 'Look for the Silver Lining' from the album Jazz/Concord (with Joe Pass, Ray Brown and Jake Hanna; click and scroll down to listen to a sample mp3).

The first bar begins with a Cm7 arpeggio started on the b3. From the 3rd bar starts a chromatic chord movement to the Bb13. The 7th measure is in the Bb Mixolydian scale, going to Bb Lydian Dominant on the 3rd beat.

Herb Ellis wrote a great book about jazz guitar playing: All The Shapes You Are

The Sibelius Score