Results for "Herb Geller"

Herb Geller

Born: November 2, 1928

Herb Geller, born on 2. November 1928 in Los Angeles is an American Jazz Musician, Composer and Arranger.

His musical abilities could have been inherited from his mother, Francis. She worked at the neighbourhood cinemas playing piano accompanying silent movies. At the age of 8 he was presented with an alto saxophone, 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. Herb attended Dorsey High School in the southwestern part of Los Angeles and joined the school band which among others included the musicians Eric Dolphy, Vi Redd and Bobby White. At the age of 14 he heard Benny Carter perform at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and was so impressed that he decided to persue a career in music, specializing on the alto saxophone.
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, who became an important idol along with Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges. In 1949 Herb went to New York City for the first time, where he performed in the bands of Jack Fina, (with Paul Desmond also in the sax section), Claude Thornhill, Jerry Wald and Lucky Millinder. During this time he met the pianist Lorraine Walsh in Los Angeles, who later in New York became his wife and also an important musical partner. After three years in New York Herb joined the Billy May 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 style became popular. Among the groups Herb worked and recorded with were Shorty Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, Bill Holman, Shelly Manne, Marty Paich, Barney Kessel, Andre Previn, Quincy Jones, Wardel Grey, Jack Sheldon and Chet Baker. Lorraine worked as the house pianist at the Lighthouse Jazz Club, and played with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Jack Teagarden, Bill Holman and was the accompanist for the singer Kay Starr. Herb recorded three LPs as a leader for Emarcy plus some with Dinah Washington, Max Roach, Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Maynard Ferguson and Kenny Drew.

COME LATELY - HERB GELLER/ROBERTO MAGRIS

By Roberto Magris

Label: JMood Records
Released: 2026
Track listing: 1. If I Were A Bell (Frank Loesser) 6:26 2. Strayhorn Medley: Isfahan / Upper Manhattan Medical Group / Orson / Johnny Come Lately (Billy Strayhorn) 21:53 3. After You (Cole Porter) 5:44 4. Handful Of Stars (Shapiro/Lawrence) 7:29 5. Lonely Woman (Benny Carter) 7:45 6. Key Largo (Herb Geller) 5:12 7. Pretty Women (Stephen Sondheim) 5:18 8. 9:20 Special (Earle Warren) 6:15 Total Time: 66:21

Roberto Magris: Broken Barriers

by Angelo Leonardi
September 21, 2026

Un'incisione live del 2008 dell'Europlane Quintet di Roberto Magris è inclusa tra i suoi cinque album inediti che la JMood Records ha pubblicato di recente. L'evento nasce per celebrare i vent'anni di sodalizio del pianista e compositore triestino con l'etichetta di Kansas City e comprende pregevoli registrazioni con Herb Geller (Come Lately), con Art ...

Jack's Groove

By Jack Sheldon

Label: GNP Crescendo Records
Released: 1959
Track listing: Green Dolphin Street; I'm Also A Person; I Had The Craziest Dream; Arrividerci; Brown Cow; Anyhow; Julie Is Her Name; Aplomb; Sunset Eyes; J.S..

The Jazz West Coast Style of Music: An Introduction

by Steven Cerra
May 23, 2025

I know it's hard to imagine with today's governmental overreach telling people what cars to drive, what bathrooms to use, and the highest personal, property and commercial taxes of any state in the nation, but California in the 1950s was a place of opportunities and possibilities. It's why my dad relocated the family from ...

Peter Madsen, Immanuel Wilkins, and the WDR Big Band

by Jerome Wilson
April 9, 2025

This program contains new music from Peter Madsen, the WDR Big Band and the Steve Allee Big Band. It also features Immanuel Wilkins, Jaki Byard, and Taylor Ho Bynum. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 ...

Jazz from the Pacific Northwest

By Shelly Manne

Label: Reel to Real
Released: 2024
Track listing:
Side A:
Stop, Look and Listen; The Vamp's Blues.
Side B:
Quartet (Suite in Four Movements).
Side C:
Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise; Summertime; Dearly Beloved.
Side D:
Funny; Secret Love; Surrey with the Fringe on Top.

Shelly Manne & His Men: Jazz From The Pacific Northwest

by Pierre Giroux
April 11, 2024

Shelly Manne & His Men are presented in two iterations in never-before-released live recordings from the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival and from a 1966 date at The Penthouse in Seattle entitled Jazz From The Pacific Northwest. In this deluxe limited edition 180-gram 2LP set, co-produced for release by the estimable Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds, the ...

Record Store Day 2024 Jazz Releases

by Kyle Simpler
April 11, 2024

Every year, Record Store Day (RSD) promises limited edition vinyl releases for all tastes in music. From the latest popular artists to the most obscure archival releases, RSD drops try to cover a lot of musical territory. Practically all genres of music are represented and, of course, jazz is no exception. Fortunately, the April 2024 drop ...

Jazz Before the Oscars: Part 2

by Ludovico Granvassu
March 8, 2024

There has always been plenty of interplay between jazz and movies: jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway or Harry Connick, Jr. turned actors; or actors like Jeff Goldblum or Cybill Shepherd turned jazz musicians; jazz soundtracks for movie; or movies about jazz musicians...However, in anticipation of Oscars Night, here we are focusing on ...