Herb Geller Biography
2 November 1928, Los Angeles, California, USA. Geller's first major engagement on alto saxophone was with Joe Venuti in the mid-40s. By the end of the decade he was in New York, playing in Claude Thornhill's big band and early in the 50s he was performing with Billy May. In the mid-50s Geller worked with several leading west coast musicians, including Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers and Bill Holman. He was also co-leader of a small group with his wife, pianist Lorraine Walsh. After her sudden death in 1958 Geller worked with Benny Goodman and Louie Bellson, spent some time in South America and toured Europe, where he decided to settle. In 1962 he was in Berlin, playing in radio orchestras and running a nightclub. He later moved to Hamburg, where he again worked in radio and in several big bands, in between times playing and recording with his own small groups. A striking bebop player in the Charlie Parker mould, Geller's chosen pattern of work has limited his exposure to international audiences.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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