Herb Geller - Quartet & Sextette

Herb Geller

Herb Geller Plays

Young Mr. Geller is a Californian who's played his modern alto in such bands as the Thornhill, May, Wald and Millinder. Here he fronts a combo wich, in addition to himself, includes his wife Lorraine, on piano; Lawrence Marable on drums and Courtis Counce on bass. The result is a fluid and fluent jazz concert of standards and originals. All the musicians are facile, and Geller demonstrates a warm tone which is rarely heard from jazz altoists. The modernists will go for this.

*Billboard, February 12, 1955*

Herb Geller is definitely one of the greatest alto players in the West-Coast era: He left gems of leader sessions on EmArcy and Jubilee labels in the 1950s. Of course he continued to play and recorded many of fine plays after he left to Europe (and after his wife / a piano player Lorraine Geller's death), but many may agree that he climbed to the artistic peak in his 1950s.

This album, his very first first leader session on EmArcy, presents us his smooth, imaginative and beautiful alto play backed up with a piano trio. A-1, althouth too famous popular tune, he re-arranged into an agressive and speedy bop tune with a modulation to another... Great! *microgroove.jp*

Side 1

1. Sleigh Ride

(Leroy Anderson)

2. Silver Rain

(Herb Geller)

3. Alone Together

(Dietz, Schwartz)

4. Happy Go Lucky

(Loesser, McHugh)

Side 2

5. Breaking Through The Sound Barrier

(Herb Geller)

6. Kahagon

(Herb Geller)

7. You Stepped Out Of A Dream

(Conn, Nacio Herb Brown)

8. A Room With A View

(Coward)

Herb Geller (alto sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Curtis Counce (bass), Lawrence Marable (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 6 (#4, #5, #6, #7) and August 9 (#1, #2, #3, #8), 1954.

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Herb Geller

Sextette

The best showcase so far for Geller's Parker-inspired alto sax. Also acceptable-to-good solos by Conte Candoli on trumpet, Ziggy Vines on tenor and Mrs. Geller on piano. Fine bass work by both Leroy Vinnegar and Red Mitchell. Geller's fluid, relaxed alto in the thing, however, and a good example is "Rockin' Chair". There are two more standards and five originals, mostly in the Parker-Gillespie lineage. *Billboard, January 21, 1956*

Herb Geller is definitely one of the greatest Alto players in the West-Coast era: He left gems of leader sessions on EmArcy and Jubilee labels in the 1950s. Of course he continued to play and recorded many of fine plays after he left to Europe (and after his wife / a piano player Lorraine Geller's death), but many may agree that he climbed to the artistic peak in his 1950s.

This album, his 2nd 12-inch LP release (3rd LP in recorded order), captures his finest plays in this era. His improvisations are delicate, fluent and beautiful, but in the same time have power of persuasion. Lorraine Geller also plays finest solos throughout.

Both sides are inevitable, but especially Side-B is great: steady and solid ensemble on "Vone Mae", relaxed and comfortable swing on "Rockin' Chair", straightahead improvisation with sharpened rhythm section on "Owl Eyes", an unique arrangements of famous song on "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" ... yes I love them all. *microgroove.jp*

Side 1

1 - Outpost Incident

(Herb Geller)

2 - Crazy He Calls Me

(Russell, Sigman)

3 - Gin For Fuguelhorns

(Herb Geller)

4 - Tardi At Zardi's

(Herb Geller)

Side 2

5 - Vone Mae

(Bruz Freeman)

6 - Rockin' Chair

(Hoagy Carmichael)

7 - Owl Eyes

(Herb Geller)

8 - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

(Cole Porter)

#1, #2, #6, #8:

Herb Geller (alto sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Ziggy Vines (tenor sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Keith Mitchell [a.k.a Red Mitchell] (bass), Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 19, 1955.

#3, #4, #5, #7:

Herb Geller (alto sax), Conte Candoli (trumpet), Ziggy Vines (tenor sax), Lorraine Geller (piano), Leroy Vinnegar (bass), Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman (drums).

Recorded in Los Angeles, California, August 22, 1955.