Released in 1998 by Verve Records as part of their acclaimed "Ultimate" series, Ultimate Oscar Peterson is a career-spanning retrospective curated by legendary jazz singer Ray Charles, who selected his personal favorite tracks from Peterson's vast Verve catalog. The compilation highlights the Canadian piano virtuoso's unparalleled swing, formidable technique, and deep blues sensitivity across small-group and orchestral settings. Featuring essential collaborations with jazz giants including bassist Ray Brown, drummer Ed Thigpen, guitarist Herb Ellis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, trumpet master Clark Terry (on the playful vocal classic "Mumbles"), and Ernie Wilkins' Orchestra, the collection stands as a masterclass in mainstream jazz piano elegance.

On At The Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the definitive, trailblazing gold standard of piano-guitar trios—featuring piano titan Oscar Peterson, double bass anchor Ray Brown, and guitar master Herb Ellis—converges to deliver an absolutely breathtaking, historic, and masterfully swinging live document. Recorded during a legendary run in Ontario in August 1956 and brilliantly preserved on this pristine Verve digital archive, this landmark performance captures the group at the absolute absolute peak of their telepathic powers. Spanning over 75 minutes of immaculate, vibrant room dynamics, the 11-track landscape operates with an electric, lightning-fast, and deeply joyous kinetic energy. The trio navigates standards and dazzling originals with a staggering level of synchronized swing, firing off burning interpretations of Falling In Love With Love, a lightning-fast romp through 52nd Street Theme, and a gorgeous, deeply moving reading of Django Reinhardt's masterpiece Nuages. Driven by Peterson's jaw-dropping, orchestral block-chord runs, Ellis's punchy, blues-drenched guitar comping, and Brown's flawless, driving walking lines, this pristine archive remains an indispensable cornerstone for serious jazz purists and mainstream collectors worldwide.

The second Concord album was recorded the day after the first with the same lineup: guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jake Hanna. Pass would sign with Pablo but Ellis would be a fixture on the Concord label throughout the 1970s. If anything, the guitarists' rematch was a bit stronger than their first due to material better suited for jamming including "In a Mellotone," a speedy "Seven Come Eleven," "Perdido" and "Concord Blues." Although Pass would soon be recognized as a giant, Ellis battles him to a draw on this frequently exciting bop-oriented date.

The Complete 1960 Sextet Jazz Cellar Session is an absolutely sublime, breathtakingly smoky, and historically monumental swing jazz document uniting two of the greatest saxophone stylists in music history—tenor giant Ben Webster and alto maestro Johnny Hodges—beautifully compiled and released in 2011 by Solar Records. Spanning over 73 minutes across 17 magnificent, high-fidelity archival tracks, this definitive edition brings together the complete, legendary November 22, 1960 studio session recorded at San Francisco's Jazz Cellar, heavily augmented by rare, essential bonus recordings captured in Los Angeles just two months later. Both alumni of the legendary Duke Ellington Orchestra, Webster and Hodges display an unparalleled, telepathic musical empathy, trading gorgeous phrases built on deep blues sensibilities, elegant vibrato, and effortless melodic swing. On the main San Francisco sessions, the two horn titans are backed by an elite West Coast rhythm engine featuring pianist Lou Levy, master guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks, and the crisp, impeccable drumming of Gus Johnson. The January 1961 bonus tracks expand the sonic architecture even further, adding brass legends Ray Nance and Lawrence Brown alongside modern jazz stalwarts Emil Richards and Mel Lewis under Jimmy Hamilton's brilliant orchestrations. The tracklist is an absolute masterclass in timeless mainstream jazz, highlighting the driving rhythm of Ben's Web and Blues'll Blow Your Fuse, the exquisite balladry of Val's Lament, and glorious, loose-swinging readings of Great American Songbook classics like Exactly Like You and I'm Beginning to See the Light. Exceptionally preserved in pristine dual-format lossless and high-bitrate audio with full booklet artwork scans, this rare collector's archive stands as an absolute mandatory cornerstone and a prized holy grail for global purists of classic swing, mainstream jazz history, and elite saxophone mastery.

The by turns grizzled and vaporous-toned Webster really hit his stride on the Verve label. During a stretch from roughly 1953-1959, the Ellington alumnus showcased his supreme playing with both combos and string sections, swingers and ballads – and lurking beneath his blustery and hulking sound were solo lines brimming with sophistication and wit. This 1957 date with the Oscar Peterson Trio is one of the highlights of that golden '50s run. After starting off with two bluesy originals – the slow burning title track and gutsy "Late Date" – Webster gets to the heart of things on five wistful ballads: Here, his exquisitely sly "Makin' Whoopee" is only outdone by an incredibly nuanced "Where Are You." Providing sympathetic counterpoint, Peterson forgoes his usual pyrotechnics for some leisurely compact solos; his cohorts – guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Stan Levey – are equally assured and splendid.

"4 To Go!" is a remarkable collaboration between four of jazz's most accomplished musicians: Andre Previn, Herb Ellis, Shelly Manne, and Ray Brown. Released in 1963, this album perfectly blends the spontaneity of bop with the smooth sophistication of cool jazz. Each track highlights the ensemble's deep musical chemistry, featuring intricate improvisations, elegant phrasing, and an infectious swing that captures the essence of the early 1960s jazz scene. From the playful energy of "No Moon At All" to the heartfelt lyricism of "It's Easy To Remember," the album navigates a range of moods while maintaining a cohesive sound. Both seasoned jazz enthusiasts and new listeners will appreciate the technical mastery, vibrant interplay, and timeless charm that make "4 To Go!" a classic recording that continues to inspire generations of jazz lovers.

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…

This four CD collection however represents the first phase of Ellis's solo career when he acted as leader or co-leader through an era which is generally considered the great man's glory years. Featuring eight stunning and extraordinary albums released originally between the mid-1950s and mid 1960s, this compilation provides both a perfect starting point for newcomers and a welcome reminder of Herb Ellis's musical prowess and creative flow for everyone else.

The very first release by the Concord label was a quartet set featuring guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jake Hanna. Ellis and Pass (the latter was just beginning to be discovered) always made for a perfectly complementary team, constantly challenging each other. The boppish music (which mixes together standards with "originals" based on the blues and a standard) is quite enjoyable with the more memorable tunes including "Look for the Silver Lining," "Honeysuckle Rose," "Georgia," "Good News Blues," and "Bad News Blues." This was a strong start for what would become the definitive mainstream jazz label.

Herb Ellis had previously recorded with fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Joe Pass and Freddie Green, but this early Concord album was his first meeting on records with Barney Kessel. It is of little surprise that the two complementary players (who had both been with the Oscar Peterson Trio at different times in the 1950s) work together quite well. With fine support from bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Jake Hanna, Kessel and Ellis (both generally easy to identify) swing their way through some mostly little-played standards, including "Early Autumn" and "Dearly Beloved," plus a few originals by the co-leaders. Fans of the bop guitar will want this sprightly collaboration.

This recording was the third and final matchup between guitarists Herb Ellis and Joe Pass and, unlike the first two (which were both made for Concord), this is a duo date rather than a quartet session. Pass was just beginning to gain recognition for his remarkable unaccompanied solos, but Ellis had not recorded in such a sparse setting before. They complement each other quite well on such tunes as "Love for Sale," "Seven Come Eleven," "Oh, Lady Be Good," "I've Found a New Baby," and two versions of "Cherokee."

Guitarist Herb Ellis considers this is his favorite personal album and it is easy to see why. With trumpeter Roy Eldridge and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz contributing contrasting but equally rewarding solos and lots of inspired riffing while bassist Ray Brown and drummer Stan Levey join Ellis in the pianoless rhythm section, these performances have plenty of color and drive. Ellis does indeed stick to the blues during the original eight selections yet there is also a surprising amount of variety.

Many improvisers would agree that having the feeling of the blues is a crucial part of jazz expression; however, the jazz and blues worlds don't interact nearly as often as they should. There are jazz musicians who will play Miles Davis' "All Blues" or Charlie Parker's "Parker's Mood" on a regular basis but wouldn't know John Lee Hooker from Little Milton; there are blues artists who are much more likely to work with a rock musician than a jazz musician. So it is a rare treat to hear a blues-oriented guitarist and a jazz-oriented guitarist co-leading a session, which is exactly what happens on More Conversations in Swing Guitar. This 2003 release is a sequel to bluesman Duke Robillard and jazzman Herb Ellis' 1999 encounter Conversations in Swing Guitar, and the CD proves that good things can happen when jazz and blues players interact. More Conversations in Swing Guitar is an album of very blues-minded instrumental jazz – it's hardly a carbon copy of Robillard's work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, but the bluesman has no problem appearing in a jazz-oriented setting.

This is a not very challenging, but thoroughly charming, summit meeting between a blues guitar master and a jazz guitar legend. Taking four classic swing tunes ("Just Squeeze Me," "Avalon," "Stuffy," and, inevitably, "Flyin' Home"), two Robillard originals, and a jointly composed slow blues, and helped out by bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Marty Richards, Duke Robillard and Herb Ellis deliver a 48-minute swing guitar master class, Conversations in Swing Guitar. Ellis comes from jazz and Robillard from the blues, so their approaches are just distinct enough to keep things interesting; although both play with a clean, fat jazz tone and no one ever really hauls off and shreds, Robillard tends towards bent notes and funky chordal things while Ellis thinks a bit more in terms of long lines and florid ornamentation. Every so often you might find yourself wishing that the edges were just a bit rougher, but both of these guys are clearly having a great old time, and you will too.