Herb Geller is at home in Hamburg, Germany, recovering from a health setback. Until fairly recently, the octogenarian alto saxophonist’s demanding schedule had him in clubs and at festivals throughout Europe. One of those events was the Darmstädter Big Band’s Kentomania tour featuring music written for Stan Kenton’s band by Bill Holman, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Curnow and others. Geller is featured here in Bill Mathieu’s arrangement of “Django†by John Lewis. In addition to Geller’s solo, the performance is notable for the resounding bottom notes provided by the brass section’s two bass trombones.
This was in 2010, when Geller was only 81.
According to the only evidence we have been able to uncover that it exists— pictured on the right—the Darmstädters and Geller made a record of the Kenton project. Although the website of the band’s leader, Peter Linhart, lists such an album in its CD section, there is no information about how to acquire it. Perhaps one of our Rifftides readers in Germany will know and let us in on the secret.
We wish Mr. Geller a speedy recovery.