The Oscar Peterson Trio With Herb Ellis – Hello Herbie

The Oscar Peterson Trio With Herb Ellis – Hello Herbie

A superb reunion between two giants of jazz, Hello Herbie pairs the extraordinary piano playing of Oscar Peterson with the fluid, swinging guitar of Herb Ellis. Originally released in 1970 on the celebrated German MPS label, the album was recorded at the MPS studio in Villingen, Germany, in November 1969, with Peterson joined by Herb Ellis, bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham.

The pairing of Peterson and Ellis has a particularly important place in jazz history. Ellis originally joined the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1953, working alongside Peterson and bassist Ray Brown during one of the group's most celebrated periods. After leaving the trio in 1958, Ellis and Peterson remained important figures in the jazz world, making Hello Herbie a long-awaited studio reunion more than a decade later.

The chemistry between piano and guitar is immediately apparent on Naptown Blues, a relaxed but hard-swinging performance originally associated with Wes Montgomery. Exactly Like You and Day By Day showcase Peterson and Ellis trading ideas with remarkable precision, while Hamp's Blues provides another opportunity for the pair to explore the blues-based foundations of their playing.

The second side opens with Peterson's own Blues For H.G., followed by the beautiful A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening, which stretches beyond eight minutes and gives both Peterson and Ellis plenty of room for extended improvisation. The album closes with the exhilarating Seven Come Eleven, a Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman classic that perfectly suits Ellis's guitar style and the quartet's swinging approach.

With its combination of bebop, blues, swing, piano jazz and sophisticated jazz guitar, Hello Herbie is an essential recording for fans of Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis and classic small-group jazz. The MPS recording also showcases the superb musicianship and intimate studio sound that helped make Peterson's German recordings so highly regarded.

A fantastic addition to any Oscar Peterson vinyl collection, Hello Herbie is equally recommended for listeners drawn to Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Bobby Durham, classic MPS jazz and the golden age of piano-and-guitar jazz.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Naptown Blues — 5:20
2. Exactly Like You — 4:48
3. Day By Day — 4:40
4. Hamp's Blues — 3:46

Side B

1. Blues For H.G. — 6:10
2. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening — 8:25
3. Seven Come Eleven — 5:10