Herb Geller is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 saxophonist, composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and arranger

Arranger

In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...

.

His musical abilities could have been inherited from his mother, Francis. She worked at the Hollywood neighbourhood cinemas playing piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, accompanying silent movies

Silent Movies

Silent Movies are 13 solo guitar compositions by Marc Ribot released September 28, 2010 on Pi Recordings.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "For those interested in one of the more compelling and quietly provocative and graceful guitar records of 2010,...

. At the age of 8 he was presented with an alto saxophone

Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...

, purchased from a local music store owner and music teacher who was also a friend of the family and had a used instrument for sale. Two years later he started clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

. Geller attended Dorsey High School in the southwestern part of Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and joined the school band which among others included the musicians Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy

Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...

, Vi Redd

Vi Redd

Vi Redd is an American jazz alto saxophone player, vocalist and educator. She has been active since the early 1950s and is known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles...

 and Bobby White.

Influences

At the age of 14 he heard Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...

 perform at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and was so impressed that he decided to pursue a career in music, specializing on the alto saxophone

Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...

. Two years later during a summer vacation he had his first professional engagement in the band of the great jazz violinist Joe Venuti.

A short time later he discovered the music of Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker

Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....

, who became an important idol along with Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...

 and Johnny Hodges

Johnny Hodges

John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges was an American alto saxophonist, best known for his solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years, except the period between 1932–1946 when Otto Hardwick generally played first chair...

.

Career

In 1949 Geller went to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 for the first time, where he performed in the bands of Jack Fina

Jack Fina

Jack Fina was a bandleader, songwriter, and pianist.Known as "The Ten Most Talented Fingers On Radio", Fina was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and educated at the New York College of Music and was a student of August Fraemcke and Elsa Nicilini...

, (with Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond

Paul Desmond , born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five"...

 also in the sax section), Claude Thornhill

Claude Thornhill

Claude Thornhill was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader...

, Jerry Wald

Jerry Wald

Jerry Wald was an American producer and screenwriter for motion pictures and radio shows.Born Jerome Irving Wald in Brooklyn, New York, he had a brother and sons who were active in show business. Jerry began writing a radio column for the New York Evening Graphic while a student at New York...

 and Lucky Millinder

Lucky Millinder

Lucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder was an American rhythm and blues and swing bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical taste made his bands successful...

. During this time he met the pianist Lorraine Walsh in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, who later in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 became his wife and also an important musical partner. After three years in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 Geller joined the Billy May

Billy May

William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...

 orchestra in 1952 and following an engagement in Los Angeles the Gellers returned there to live. The development of the Long Playing Record created more work opportunities for jazz musicians using many different ensembles and the so-called West Coast Jazz

West coast jazz

West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged,...

 style became popular. Among the groups Geller worked and recorded with were Shorty Rogers

Shorty Rogers

Milton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...

, Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...

, Bill Holman

Bill Holman (musician)

Willis Leonard Holman , known also as Bill Holman, is an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter working primarily in the jazz idiom....

, Shelly Manne

Shelly Manne

Shelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...

, Marty Paich

Marty Paich

Martin Louis "Marty" Paich was an American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director and conductor....

, Barney Kessel

Barney Kessel

Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...

, Andre Previn

André Previn

André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...

, Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones

Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...

, Wardell Gray

Wardell Gray

Wardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.-Early years:...

, Jack Sheldon

Jack Sheldon

Jack Sheldon is an American bebop and West Coast jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor. He is a trumpet player and was a comedian on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as the voice heard on several episodes of the educational music television series Schoolhouse Rock.-Biography:Sheldon was born in...

 and Chet Baker

Chet Baker

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...

. Lorraine worked as the house pianist at the Lighthouse Jazz Club

Lighthouse Café

The Lighthouse Café is a nightclub located at 30 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach, California. It has been active as a jazz showcase since 1949 and, under the name "The Lighthouse", was one of the central West Coast jazz clubs from the 1950s through the late 1970s....

, and played with Miles Davis

Miles Davis

Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...

, Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...

, Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker

Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....

, Stan Getz

Stan Getz

Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...

, Zoot Sims

Zoot Sims

John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...

, Jack Teagarden

Jack Teagarden

Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden , known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was an influential jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".-Early life:...

, Bill Holman

Bill Holman (musician)

Willis Leonard Holman , known also as Bill Holman, is an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter working primarily in the jazz idiom....

 and was the accompanist for the singer Kay Starr

Kay Starr

Kay Starr is an American pop and jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1940s and 50s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz"....

. Geller recorded three LPs

LP album

The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

 as a leader for Emarcy plus some with Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington

Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...

, Max Roach

Max Roach

Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...

, Clifford Brown

Clifford Brown

Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...

, Clark Terry

Clark Terry

Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...

, Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson

Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...

 and Kenny Drew

Kenny Drew

Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...

.

In 1955 he won the “New Star Award” from Down Beat

Down Beat

Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...

Magazine and achieved worldwide recognition through his recordings with Clifford Brown

Clifford Brown

Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...

. Later Herb worked in the bands of Louie Bellson

Louie Bellson

Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni , better known by the stage name Louie Bellson , was an Italian-American jazz drummer...

 and Benny Goodman

Benny Goodman

Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...

.
Lorraine Geller

Lorraine Geller

Lorraine Geller was an American jazz pianist....

 unexpectedly died in 1958.

During a tour through Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 with the Benny Goodman Orchestra Geller decided not to return to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 but instead stayed in Sao Paulo

São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...

 for six weeks playing Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova may refer to:*Bossa nova, a style of music*Bossa Nova , a dance form associated with the music*Bossa Nova , a 2000 film*Bossa Nova - album by John Pizzarelli...

 music at a local club until he departed on a ship to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

.

Europe

Arriving in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 he played with Kenny Clarke

Kenny Clarke

Kenny Clarke , born Kenneth Spearman Clarke, nicknamed "Klook" and later known as Liaqat Ali Salaam, was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming...

, Kenny Drew

Kenny Drew

Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:Born in New York City, New York, he first recorded with Howard McGhee in 1949, and over the next two years recorded with Buddy DeFranco, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, and Dinah Washington...

, the French pianist Martial Solal

Martial Solal

Martial Solal is a French jazz pianist and composer, who is probably most widely known for the music he wrote for Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature film À bout de souffle .-Biography:...

, and Belgian guitarist Rene Thomas

René Thomas (guitarist)

René Thomas is considered one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 1960s, but has remained rather unknown to the general public. After the Second World War, he played with the "Bop Shots", Belgium's first be-bop outfit with Jacques Pelzer and Bobby Jaspar...

 among others, and also toured with a French radio show, Musique Aux Champs-Elysées.

1962 he was offered a job with the big band

Big band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

 of the Radio Free Berlin (SFB) station in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

. He accepted this engagement and performed there along with other “Americans In Europe” such as Benny Bailey

Benny Bailey

Benny Bailey, born Ernest Harold Bailey , was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz trumpeter.-Biography:...

, Joe Harris

Joe Harris

Joe Harris may refer to:* Joe Harris , English cricketer in the 1740s and 1750s* Joe Harris , mathematician* Joe Harris , American first baseman in Major League Baseball...

, Nat Peck

Nat Peck

Nat Peck is an American jazz trombonist.Nat Peck was born in New York City. He played with Glenn Miller and Don Redman early in his career...

 as well as outstanding European Musicians like Ack and Jerry van Rooyen

Jerry van Rooyen

Jerry van Rooyen was a Dutch trumpeter, conductor, and composer. His works have appeared in films such as Free Enterprise and the British television series Spaced.- Biography :...

, Ake Persson

Åke Persson

Åke Persson was a Swedish bebop jazz trombonist.Persson, known as "the Comet", moved from southern Sweden to Stockholm in 1951, where he played in Simon Brehm's quintet...

 and Francy Boland

Francy Boland

François Boland was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist.He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like Bobby Jaspar, and in 1955 he joined Chet Baker's quintet...

. In Berlin he met his second wife Christine Rabsch. Geller stayed there for three years and then accepted a contract to play lead alto and also arrange for the big band of the (NDR) in Hamburg

Hamburg

-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...

. Here he was engaged for 28 years and made Hamburg his home. During this time the NDR bigband developed from a post war dance orchestra into a top modern jazz band. The endless list of participating musicians ranged from Don Byas

Don Byas

Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe.- Oklahoma and Los Angeles :...

, Joe Pass

Joe Pass

Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...

, Slide Hampton

Slide Hampton

Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...

, Bill Evans

Bill Evans

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...

, Red Mitchell

Red Mitchell

Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927, New York City - November 8, 1992, Salem, Oregon, was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. He was the brother of Whitey Mitchell....

, Art Farmer

Art Farmer

Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...

, Georgie Fame

Georgie Fame

Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...

 and Chet Baker

Chet Baker

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...

 to avant garde musicians and rock/fusion and included nearly all the big names of European Jazz.

During his work at the NDR Herb Geller was also busy in other directions including his own productions and tours. During this time he also participated in recordings and worked with such famed artists as Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

, The Supremes

The Supremes

The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...

, Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...

, Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...

, Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...

, Peter Herbolzheimer

Peter Herbolzheimer

Peter Herbolzheimer was a German jazz trombonist and bandleader.- Biography :Herbolzheimer was born in Bucharest and migrated from communist Romania to West Germany in 1951. In 1953 he moved to the United States of America, where he worked as a guitarist...

 R,C&B, Craig Russell

Craig Russell

Craig Russell may refer to:* Craig Russell * Craig L. Russell , software architect* Craig Russell * Craig Russell...

, Liberace

Liberace

Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...

, Udo Lindenberg

Udo Lindenberg

Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...

, Marius Müller-Westernhagen

Marius Müller-Westernhagen

Marius Müller-Westernhagen is a German actor and musician.Possibly best known for the maudlin hit "Johnny Walker", Marius Müller Westernhagen has been a feature in German rock music since the mid seventies...

, Paul Anka

Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...

, George Gruntz

George Gruntz

George Gruntz is a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist and composer most noteworthy for his work with artists such as Phil Woods, Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin and Mel Lewis.From 1972 to 1994 he served as artistic director for...

, Bert Kaempfert

Bert Kaempfert

Bert Kaempfert was a German orchestra leader and songwriter. He made easy listening and jazz-oriented records, and wrote the music for a number of well-known songs, such as "Strangers in the Night" and "Spanish Eyes".-Biography:He was born in Hamburg, Germany - where he received his lifelong...

, Billy Vaughn

Billy Vaughn

Richard "Billy" Vaughn was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records....

 and many more.

During his tenure at NDR he also learned and performed on other woodwind instruments besides clarinet

Clarinet

The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...

, flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

, alto flute

Alto flute

The alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range...

, bass flute

Bass flute

The bass flute is the bass member of the flute family. It is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. Because of the length of its tube , it is usually made with a "J" shaped head joint, which brings the embouchure hole within reach of the player...

, piccolo flute, oboe

Oboe

The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...

 and English horn. On flute he played and recorded with Bill Evans

Bill Evans

William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...

 and Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell. He also composed the music and lyrics to two musicals: PLAYING JAZZ (a musical autobiography) and JAZZY JOSIE B. (based on the life of Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France. She was given such nicknames as the "Bronze Venus", the "Black Pearl", and the "Créole Goddess"....

).

In 1996 the Senat of the Hamburg Government gave him the title of “Professor”. He taught at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg until his retirement. Currently Herb Geller continues teaching jazz improvisation and composition and occasionally doing seminars at various national and international institutes and wrote a method of improvisation

Improvisation

Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...

 for Schott And Sons-- “CROSSOVER”.

He is still active, performing regularly in Germany and abroad as a soloist at festivals and clubs in various formations including some big bands as well as with such diverse artists as Knut Kiesewetter

Knut Kiesewetter

Knut Kiesewetter is a German jazz musician, singer, songwriter and producer.Kiesewetter was born in Stettin . He began his career in the age of 14, playing trombone and singing. He issued his first single at the age of 19. As a songwriter, his songs were recorded by Gitte Haenning and Eartha Kitt,...

, Lennie Niehaus

Lennie Niehaus

Lennie Niehaus is an American alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer on the West Coast jazz scene. He has played with the Stan Kenton big band, and various other jazz bands on the West Coast of the U.S. Niehaus has arranged and composed for motion pictures, including several produced by Clint...

, Jiggs Whigham

Jiggs Whigham

Jiggs Whigham is an American jazz trombonist living in Europe.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he began his professional career at age 17, joining the Glenn Miller/Ray Mckinley orchestra in 1961...

, Rolf Kühn

Rolf Kühn

Rolf Kühn . is a jazz clarinetist and saxophonist.He lived in the United States from 1956–59 and drew favourable reviews, for example a comparison with Benny Goodman by John H. Hammond....

, Slide Hampton

Slide Hampton

Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...

, Buddy DeFranco

Buddy DeFranco

Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco is an American jazz clarinet player.-Biography:DeFranco began his professional career just as swing music and big bands — many of which were led by clarinetists like Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman — were fading in popularity...

, Lew Soloff

Lew Soloff

Lew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...

, Charlie Mariano

Charlie Mariano

Carmine Ugo Mariano was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Cologne, Germany.-Biography:Mariano was the son of Italian immigrants....

 and Jan Lundgren

Jan Lundgren

Jan Lundgren is a Swedish jazz musician , known for his solo work, and his own jazz trio.Born in Kristianstad and raised in Ronneby, Jan Lundgren was formerly in the group "St...

 to name a few.

He is very proud of his friendship with the late Benny Carter

Benny Carter

Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...

, with whom he had recorded and performed with and participated at the Hollywood Bowl celebration for Benny's ninetieth birthday.

On 26 November 2005 Herb Geller was knighted for his achievements in Jazz with the title “Ritter der Ronneburg” by Fürst Johann-Georg zu Ysenburg und Büdingen. Modest as always, his comment about this event was “my friends still call me Herb”.

On 24 November 2008 Herb Geller was awarded with the "Louis-Armstrong-Gedächtnispreis 2008" by the association “Swinging Hamburg” for his achievements in Jazz which include being a supporter of the musical new blood as well as ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 of swinging Jazz for Hamburg.

It has to be mentioned, that Herb Geller -despite the influence of Charlie Parker and Benny Carter- developed his own form of expression and individuality, maintaining an always recognizable personal style.

As leader

• 1954: The Herb Geller Sextette - EmArcy
• 1955: Outpost Incident - EmArcy
• 1955: The Gellers - EmArcy
• 1957 : Fire In The West - Jubilee
• 1959: Gypsy - Capitol
• 1963: Alto Saxophone (Josie Records
  Josie Records
  Josie Records was a subsidiary of Jubilee Records in New York and was active from 1954 through to 1971. Single records were numbered from 760 through to 1031.Their best sellers were The Cadillacs, Bobby Freeman and The Meters....
  
  )
• 1975: Rhyme and Reason / Herb Geller Octet Featuring Mark Murphy & Earl Jordan - Atlantic
• 1975: American In Hamburg - Nova
• 1984:: Hot House (Circle Records (Germany)
  Circle Records (Germany)
  Circle Records was an Germany based record label specializing in jazz, established in 1976. -Discography:Circle Records was an Germany based record label specializing in jazz, established in 1976. -Discography:...
  
  )
• 1984:: Fungi Mama (Circle)
• 1986: A Jazz Songbook - Enja
• 1989: Stax Of Sax - Fresh Sound - (reissue from 1958)
• 1990: That Geller Feller - Fresh Sound - (reissue from 1957)
• 1993: Herb Geller Quartet - V.S.O.P.
• 1996: Birdland Stomp - Fresh Sound
• 1996: Herb Geller Plays (Import- Japan Remastered- Limited Edition) Verve
• 1996: Plays The Al Cohn Songbook - HEP
• 1997: Playing Jazz - Fresh Sound
• 1998: You're Looking At Me - Fresh Sound
• 1998: I'll be back - HEP
• 1999: Hollywood Portraits - HEP
• 2002: To Benny And Johnny - HEP
• 2005: The Herb Geller Sextette - Membran Music - (reissue from 1954)
• 2005: The Gellers - Membran Music - (reissue from 1955)
• 2006: Herb & Lorraine Geller: Two Of A Kind - Complete Recordings 1954 - 1955 – (reissue)
• 2006: Plays The Arthur Schwartz Songbook - HEP
• 2007: Herb Geller At The Movies – HEP

As sideman

With Chet Baker

Chet Baker

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...

• Grey December - Capitol - 1992
• My Favourite Songs Vols. 1 and 2: The Last Great Concert - Enja - 1988
• My Funny Valentine - Philology
• Pacific Jazz Years Capitol
• The Best of Chet Baker Plays - Capitol - 1992

With others

• Clifford Brown / The Ultimate Clifford Brown - Verve - 1998
• Bravissimo II - 50 Years NDR Bigband - ACT - 1998
• Clifford Brown / Best Coast Jazz - Verve /Japan - 1996
• Mel Tormé / Mel Tormé Collection - Rhino -1996
• Ella Fitzgerald / Love Songs: Best of the Verve Song Books - Verve - 1996
• Anita O‘Day / Compact Jazz - Verve - 1993
• The Complete Cole Porter Songbooks (Various Artists) Verve - 1993
• Dinah Washington / First Issue: The Dinah Washington Story (The Original Recordings) Verve - 1993
• Blue Night Special (Blue Night Special) Milan - 1993
• Clifford Brown / Jazz Round Midnight - Verve - 1993
• Rolf Kühn / Big Band Connection - Milan - 1993
• Dinah Washington / Jazz‚round Midnight - Verve - 1993
• Compact Jazz: Best of the Jazz Vocalists (Various Artists) PolyGram - 1992
• RCA Victor Jazz: the First Half- century - the Twenties through the Sixties (Various Artists) RCA - 1992
• Qunicy Jones / This Is How I Feel About Jazz - GRP - 1992
• Dinah Washington / Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury, Vol. 3 (1952–1954) - Verve - 1992
• Anita O‘Day / Anita O‘Day Sings the Winners -Verve 1991
• Clifford Brown / Compact Jazz: Clifford Brown - Verve - 1991
• Benny Goodman / Yale Recordings, Vols. 1- 6 - Musicmasters - 1991
• Marty Paich / The Picasso of Big Band Jazz - Candid - 1990
• Phil Wilson / The Wizard of Oz Suite - Capri -1989
• Benny Carter / Over the Rainbow - Musicmasters - 1988
• Dinah Washington / Dinah - Verve - 1962
• Art Pepper + Eleven: Modern Jazz Classics - Original Jazz Classics - 1959
• Art Pepper / Plus Eleven - Analogue Productions - 1959
• All That Jazz (The Hi- Los) Collectors‘ Series - 1995
• Ella Fitzgerald / The First Lady of Song - Verve - 1958
• Bill Holman / In a Jazz Orbit - V.S.O.P. - 1958
• Jimmy Rowles / Weather In A Jazz Vane - V.S.O.P - 1958
• Benny Goodman / Yale Recordings, Vol. 8: Never Before Released Recordings from Benny Goodman's Private - Musicmasters – 1957
• John Williams / Here's What I'm Here For - Discovery / Antones - 1957
• Don Fagerquist / Music to Fill a Void - V.S.O.P - 1957
• Anita O‘Day / Pick Yourself up with Anita O‘Day - Verve - 1956
• Benny Goodman / B.G. World Wide - TCB Music (SWI) - 1956
• Dinah Washington / Dinah Jams - Verve - 1955
• Bill Holman / The Bill Holman Octet - Capitol - 1954
• Lorraine Geller / Lorraine Geller Memorial - Fresh Sound - 1954
• Clifford Brown / Clifford Brown Allstars - Emarcy - 1953
• The Best of Chess Jazz (Various Artists) MCA - 1950
• Best of the Big Bands: Compact Jazz (Various Artists) Verve
• Jazz‚round Midnight (Saxophone) Verve
• Benny Goodman / Swing Swing Swing, Vol. 1- 5 Musicmaster
• Ralph Pena / Master Of The Bass - V.S.O.P.
• Manny Albam Jazz Lab Vol.12 - MCA Coral -1957
• Manny Albam / Jazz Greats of our time Vol.2. - Coral
• John Graas Septet And Nonet Jazz Lab Vol.19 - MCA Coral
• Klaus Weiss Orchestra / I Just Want to celebrate - BASF - 1971
• Herbie Fields / Jazz Lab. Vol.9 - MCA Coral 1954
• Jack Millman / Jazz Lab. Vol 11. - MCA Coral 1955
• Gene Krupa and his orchestra / That Drummers Band - Verve
• Benny Goodman Orchestra / Santiaga De Chile 1961 - TCB Records
• Clarke - Boland Big Band / Change Of Scenes - Ex Libris - 1971
• Americans In Europe - Vol.1 - Impulse - 1963
• The Alpin Power Plant recorded In Switzerland - MPS - 1972
• Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass / Wide Open - MPS - 1973
• Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass / Peter Herbolzheimer Masterpieces - MPS
• Shelly Manne & His Men Play Peter Gunn - OJC - Fantasy
• Shorty Rodgers And His Giants / A Portrait Of Shorty - RCA
• Howard Rumsey‘s Lighthouse Allstars - OJC - Fantasy
• StanKenton‘s Small Group / Plays Bob Graetinger: City Of Glass - Capitol
• Klaus Weiss Orchestra / Live At The Domicile - ATM Records
• Bill Smith Quintet / Americans In Europe - Impulse
• Bob Florence And His Orchestra / Name Band:1959 - Fresh Sound
• Barney Kessel And His Orchestra / Barney Kessel Plays Carmen - OJC Fantasy
• Jan Lundgren Trio with Herb Geller / Stockholm Get Together - Fresh Sound 1994
• Nils Gessinger / Ducks ‚N‘ Cookies - GRP - 1995
• Wolfgang Schlüter With The NDR Big Band / Good Vibrations - Extra Records And Tapes
• Inga Rumpf With The NDR Big Band / It‘s A Man‘s World - Extra Records And Tapes

External links

• Official site