Herb Geller - Europe

Europe

Arriving in Paris he played with Kenny Clarke, Kenny Drew, the French pianist Martial Solal, and Belgian guitarist Rene Thomas among others, and also toured with a French radio show, Musique Aux Champs-Elysées.

1962 he was offered a job with the big band of the Radio Free Berlin (RIAS) station in Berlin. He accepted this engagement and performed there along with other “Americans In Europe” such as Benny Bailey, Joe Harris, Nat Peck as well as outstanding European Musicians like Ack and Jerry van Rooyen, Ake Persson and Francy Boland. 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. 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, Joe Pass, Slide Hampton, Bill Evans, Red Mitchell, Art Farmer, Georgie Fame and Chet Baker 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, The Supremes, Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley MacLaine, Jerry Lewis, Peter Herbolzheimer R,C&B, Craig Russell, Liberace, Udo Lindenberg, Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Paul Anka, George Gruntz, Bert Kaempfert, Billy Vaughn and many more.

During his tenure at NDR he also learned and performed on other woodwind instruments besides clarinet, flute, alto flute, bass flute, piccolo flute, oboe and English horn. On flute he played and recorded with Bill Evans 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).

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 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, Lennie Niehaus, Jiggs Whigham, Rolf Kühn, Slide Hampton, Buddy DeFranco, Lew Soloff, Charlie Mariano and Jan Lundgren to name a few.

He is very proud of his friendship with the late Benny Carter, 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 of swinging Jazz for Hamburg.