Live in person Blind Tiger Tribute concert celebrating the life and music of guitarist Herb Ellis. Presented by Dave Corbus at Colorado Auto Dealer’s Association on August 29.

Texas-born in 1921, guitarist HERB ELLIS had a long career playing alongside some of the greatest jazz artists of his day including Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Ben Webster, and countless more. His style was a unique blend of bop lines with a bluesy twang unlike many other jazz guitarists of his day. Ellis got his start playing in Jimmy Dorsey’s band followed by Soft Winds with pianist Lou Carter. However, Ellis gained popularity when he joined the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1953. This incredible trio, with a hired drummer, became the “house band” for Verve Records supporting many of the legends mentioned above. In 1958, Ellis left OP’s trio and toured with Ella Fitzgerald until 1960. After much time in the studio as a sideman playing a lot of blues in the sixties, Ellis decided to pursue performing jazz again in the 1970’s. For then on, he performed mostly in his own projects. Ellis passed away in March of 2010 at the age of 88 after battling Alzheimer’s disease.

DAVE CORBUS, instructor of jazz guitar at the University of Colorado Boulder, spent over a decade playing in New York City as part of the “downtown” and mainstream jazz scenes. Mr. Corbus and his trio played weekly at the New York jazz club Augies (now Smoke) for a three-year stint; he also played in several world music bands, and in some of New York’s finest clubs and shows with the blues/funk/jazz band “Business of Blues.” Mr. Corbus has played with a variety of well-known jazz musicians such as Red Holloway, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Plas Johnson, Lewis Nash, Javon Jackson, Bobby Watson and Joey DeFrancesco, and his trio has performed at Denver’s finest jazz clubs and at Colorado’s favorite music festivals.