From the LA Times:
Herb Ellis, a jazz guitarist perhaps best known for his work with the influential Oscar Peterson Trio, has died. He was 88.
Ellis, who had Alzheimer’s disease, died Sunday morning at his home in Los Angeles, said his son, Mitch.
During his long and varied career, Ellis played with Jimmy Dorsey and Ella Fitzgerald. He also worked as a studio musician and played in the bands of several television shows, including Steve Allen’s and Merv Griffin’s.
“There have been changes in jazz and new styles come along. I play straight ahead, what you might call mainstream, jazz,” Ellis told the Columbus Dispatch of Ohio in 1996. “That’s what I played when I started and that’s what I still play. I wish everyone else good luck and God bless, but I’ve found mine and I’m going to stick with it.”
• Herb Ellis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Ellis
[Photo: Vernon Hyde]
