RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: We want to take a moment to remember one of the jazz world's most influential guitarists. Herb Ellis was known for his nimble improvisations and bluesy playing. He was the heartbeat of pianist Oscar Peterson's trio. He was so good at providing a rhythmic foundation for the group that when he left, Peterson replaced him with a drummer. Earlier, Herb Ellis had his own group, Soft Winds Trio. It wrote the plaintiff "Detour Ahead." This bittersweet but mostly sweet song became a jazz standard.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: Guitarist Herb Ellis was 88 when he died on Sunday. To see a video of Ellis playing with the Oscar Peterson Trio, head over to a blog supreme, the NPR Jazz Blog at npr.org.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: This is NPR News.
The jazz world has lost one of its most influential guitarists. Herb Ellis died Sunday at the age of 88. Known for his nimble improvisations and bluesy playing, Ellis was the heartbeat of pianist Oscar Peterson's trio.