Herb Ellis • Ellis In Wonderland

 

Review:
by Ken Dryden
In the midst of his tenure with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Herb Ellis had the chance to turn the tables on his boss and employ him as a sideman, though the keyboard virtuoso strangely reigns in his chops and pretty much stays in the background. This pair of sessions was first issued on a Norgran LP and finally reissued as a Verve CD in early 2006. The first four tracks add Jimmy Giuffre (alternating between baritone sax, tenor sax, and clarinet) and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, along with fellow Peterson sideman Ray Brown and drummer Alvin Stoller. Ellis' originals include the easygoing "Sweetheart Blues" and the cooking bop vehicle "Pogo," where both the leader and Edison eclipse Giuffre's efforts on sax. "It Could Happen to You" focuses exclusively on Ellis, with Peterson and Edison sitting out and Giuffre adding some background color on clarinet. Alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano is added for the latter date. The well-known "Detour Ahead" (jointly credited to Ellis and his former Soft Winds bandmates Lou Carter and Johnny Frigo, though Frigo has long maintained that it was his composition alone) has a chamber-like setting, with the band primarily providing background for Ellis, though Ray Brown gets in a snappy solo toward the end. The session picks up with the bubbly "Ellis in Wonderland" and a snappy rendition of "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Giuffre's loping "A Simple Tune" reflects Ellis' Texas roots in a bluesy setting, with Peterson finally getting a chance to stretch out for a chorus. This early album by Herb Ellis is well worth acquiring.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ellis-in-wonderland-mw0000264876


Biography
by Scott Yanow
An excellent bop-based guitarist with a slight country twang to his sound, Herb Ellis became famous playing with the Oscar Peterson Trio during 1953-1958. Prior to that, he had attended North Texas State University and played with the Casa Loma Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey (1945-1947), and the sadly under-recorded trio Soft Winds. While with Peterson, Ellis was on some Jazz at the Philharmonic tours and had a few opportunities to lead his own dates for Verve, including his personal favorite, Nothing But the Blues (1957). After leaving Peterson, Ellis toured a bit with Ella Fitzgerald; became a studio musician on the West Coast; made sessions with the Dukes of Dixieland, Stuff Smith, and Charlie Byrd; and in the 1970s became much more active in the jazz world. He can be heard on the first three releases issued by the Concord label, interacting with Joe Pass on the initial two, and he toured with the Great Guitars (along with Byrd and Barney Kessel) through much of the 1970s into the '80s. After a long series of Concord albums, Ellis cut a couple of excellent sessions in the 1990s for Justice, as well as 1999's Burnin' on Acoustic Music. After battling Alzheimer's disease, Herb Ellis died at the age of 88 at his home in Los Angeles on March 28, 2010.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/herb-ellis-mn0000674310/biography

///////

Reseña:
por Ken Dryden
En medio de su permanencia con el Oscar Peterson Trio, Herb Ellis tuvo la oportunidad de darle la vuelta a la tortilla a su jefe y emplearlo como sideman, aunque el virtuoso del teclado extrañamente reina en sus chuletas y se mantiene prácticamente en un segundo plano. Este par de sesiones se publicó por primera vez en un LP de Norgran y finalmente se reeditó como CD de Verve a principios de 2006. Los primeros cuatro temas incluyen a Jimmy Giuffre (alternando entre el saxo barítono, el saxo tenor y el clarinete) y al trompetista Harry "Sweets" Edison, junto con el compañero de Peterson Ray Brown y el baterista Alvin Stoller. Los originales de Ellis incluyen la relajada "Sweetheart Blues" y el vehículo de bop de cocina "Pogo", donde tanto el líder como Edison eclipsan los esfuerzos de Giuffre en el saxo. "It Could Happen to You" se centra exclusivamente en Ellis, con Peterson y Edison al margen y Giuffre añadiendo algo de color de fondo con el clarinete. El saxofonista alto Charlie Mariano se añade para esta última fecha. El conocido "Detour Ahead" (atribuido conjuntamente a Ellis y a sus antiguos compañeros de banda de Soft Winds, Lou Carter y Johnny Frigo, aunque Frigo ha mantenido durante mucho tiempo que era su composición en solitario) tiene una configuración de cámara, con la banda proporcionando principalmente el fondo para Ellis, aunque Ray Brown consigue un solo ágil hacia el final. La sesión se anima con la burbujeante "Ellis in Wonderland" y una ágil interpretación de "Have You Met Miss Jones?". A Simple Tune" de Giuffre refleja las raíces tejanas de Ellis en un ambiente de blues, con Peterson finalmente teniendo la oportunidad de estirarse para un coro. Merece la pena adquirir este primer álbum de Herb Ellis.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/ellis-in-wonderland-mw0000264876


Biografía
por Scott Yanow
Herb Ellis, un excelente guitarrista basado en el bop con un ligero toque country en su sonido, se hizo famoso tocando con el Oscar Peterson Trio durante 1953-1958. Antes de eso, había asistido a la Universidad Estatal del Norte de Texas y tocado con la Orquesta Casa Loma, Jimmy Dorsey (1945-1947) y el trío Soft Winds, tristemente infrautilizado. Mientras estuvo con Peterson, Ellis participó en algunas giras de Jazz at the Philharmonic y tuvo algunas oportunidades de dirigir sus propias fechas para Verve, incluyendo su favorito personal, Nothing But the Blues (1957). Tras dejar a Peterson, Ellis realizó algunas giras con Ella Fitzgerald; se convirtió en músico de estudio en la Costa Oeste; realizó sesiones con los Dukes of Dixieland, Stuff Smith y Charlie Byrd; y en los años 70 se volvió mucho más activo en el mundo del jazz. Se le puede escuchar en los tres primeros lanzamientos publicados por el sello Concord, interactuando con Joe Pass en los dos primeros, y estuvo de gira con los Great Guitars (junto con Byrd y Barney Kessel) durante gran parte de los años 70 y los 80. Tras una larga serie de álbumes de Concord, Ellis grabó un par de excelentes sesiones en la década de 1990 para Justice, así como Burnin' on Acoustic Music de 1999. Tras luchar contra la enfermedad de Alzheimer, Herb Ellis murió a los 88 años en su casa de Los Ángeles el 28 de marzo de 2010.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/herb-ellis-mn0000674310/biography

Tracklist
1 - Sweetheart Blues - 4:44
2 - Somebody Loves Me - 4:52
3 - It Could Happen To You - 3:44
4 - Pogo - 4:43
5 - Detour Ahead - 4:00
6 - Ellis In Wonderland - 3:49
7 - Have You Met Miss Jones? - 6:18
8 - A Simple Tune - 4:10

Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano
    Bass – Ray Brown
    Drums – Alvin Stoller
    Guitar – Herb Ellis
    Piano – Oscar Peterson
    Producer – Norman Granz
    Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet – Jimmy Giuffre
    Trumpet – Harry Edison

Notes:
Recorded December 1955 and January 1956 in Hollywood.

Label: Verve Records – B0005930-02
Series: Verve Originals
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bop, Cool Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/release/3574654-Herb-Ellis-Ellis-In-Wonderland

MORE Herb Ellis ...

This file is intended only for preview!
I ask you to delete the file from your hard drive or device after reading it.
thank for the original uploader