Personnel:
Herb Geller (as), Roy Hargrove, Gerard Presencer (tp), Kenny Drew (p), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b), Mark Taylor (d)
Reference: FSRCD 5070
Bar code: 8427328650700
In May 1990, Los Angeles–born alto saxophonist Herb Geller, residing in Berlin since 1962, gathered an exceptional international group at Gema Studios in Barcelona. He brought together his lyrical, Bird-derived voice with American expatriate Kenny Drew (then based in Denmark), Danish bass virtuoso Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, British drummer Mark Taylor, and two brilliant young trumpeters: American Roy Hargrove, fresh from his debut album 'Diamond in the Rough,' and English Gerard Presencer, just seventeen and full of promise.
Originally conceived as a two-album project, only the quartet session (Birdland Stomp, FSRCD-5046) was released at the time. The second set—featuring the two trumpeters—remained unheard for decades, as the original analog tapes had deteriorated over time and become too fragile to play. Recently rediscovered DAT copies have now made it possible to complete the story.
This long-awaited release captures Herb Geller at his most inspired, in the company of remarkable musicians whose interplay bridges generations and continents with grace, energy, and the timeless spirit of jazz.
—Jordi Pujol
"Born and raised in Los Angeles, Herb Geller began playing the alto saxophone at age 8. His best friend in high school was Eric Dolphy, and both were in the marching band together—Herb on clarinet and Dolphy on oboe. Herb’s idols were Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges.
Herb joined the musicians union in 1944 at age 16. A year later, he heard Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie at Billy Berg’s jazz club. Too young to gain entry, he stood outside and listened. He took lessons from Stan Getz and began playing the alto with Benny Carter’s sound and Lester Young’s horizontal feel. Herb soon became a mainstay on the West Coast jazz recording scene and moved to Germany in 1962.
Now Fresh Sound has released Herb Geller Quartet: Barcelona Session, an excellent album of previously unreleased material recorded in Barcelona in May 1990. Herb was in the studio shortly after Jordi Pujol, the label’s founder, met him for the first time. The quartet featured Kenny Drew (p), Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b) and Mark Taylor (d), with guest trumpeters Roy Hargrove and England’s Gerard Presencer.
The album shows off Herb’s warmth, speed and sterling tone, plus the elegant piano of Drew and the tasty bass of Pedersen and drums of Taylor. I forgot how forceful and pretty Herb played, so the new album was welcome news for me.
Herb was a wonderful guy. Even in conversation from Germany, he was determined, confident, transparent and generous with his time and recordings. Glorious to hear him again.
Herb Geller died in 2013 at age 85."
—Marc Myers (December 3, 2025)
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