Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Roberto Magris Trio: An Evening with Herb Geller: Li...

The Roberto Magris Trio: An Evening with Herb Geller: Live in Europe 2009

By Jack Bowers
March 16, 2015
View read count

The Roberto Magris Trio: An Evening with Herb Geller: Live in Europe 2009

To followers of jazz in general and West Coast jazz in particular, the late alto saxophonist

Herb Geller

saxophone
1928 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Herb Geller should need no introduction. Geller, a master of his horn, was a fixture on the West Coast scene and elsewhere in the States until he moved to Germany in 1962 and spent the last half-century of his life there, performing and recording with groups large and small and imparting his wisdom to a younger generation of musicians.

On An Evening with Herb Geller, recorded in concert in November and December 2009 in Serbia and Vienna, the saxophonist is backed by the splendid Italian pianist

Roberto Magris

piano
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Roberto Magris and his working trio (Nikola Matosic, bass;

Enzo Carpentieri

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Enzo Carpentieri, drums) on what may be Geller's last recording (he died four years later, on December 19, 2013). On it, you will hear and be enthralled by someone who is far more than an "old man" playing out the string or a "living legend" profiting from his name. In point of fact, Geller plays like a musician many years his junior; the technique is as clean and sharp as ever, the intonation strong, the flow of ideas fresh and abundant. For example, you will seldom hear the

Zoot Sims

saxophone, tenor
1925 - 1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Zoot Sims classic "The Red Door" played with more awareness or enthusiasm than here.

The same holds true for the remainder of this invariably charming program, which opens with Cole Porter's "After You" and ends with Stephen Sondheim's "Pretty Woman" (which, like

Jimmy Rowles

piano
1918 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Rowles' "The Peacocks" is listed as "bonus track," as they were recorded in Vienna, the others in Serbia). Another bonus is Geller's spoken introduction to several of the selections, which include

Johnny Mandel

arranger
b.1925

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Mandel's "El Cajon" (a tribute to and takeoff on the name of the great tenor saxophonist

Al Cohn

saxophone, tenor
1925 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Al Cohn), Benny Carter's alluring "Lonely Woman,"

Earle Warren

b.1914

" data-original-title="" title="">Earle Warren's buoyant "9:20 Special," Frank Loesser's "If I Were a Bell," two songs by

Billy Strayhorn

piano
1915 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Strayhorn ("Orson," "Upper Manhattan Medical Group") and Geller's upbeat composition "Celebrating Bird."

While Geller swings throughout, he is shadowed closely by Magris whose nimble approach to the keyboard is equaled by his exemplary sense of time and large reservoir of engaging ad-libs. The trio as a unit is similarly polished and never disappoints. Nor does Geller whose playing was enterprising and virtuosic almost to the end of his long and productive life. For undeniable proof of that, lend an ear to (and be astonished by) An Evening with Herb Geller.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

After You; El Cajon; Lonely Woman; The Red Door; Orson; Upper Manhattan Medical Group; Celebrating Bird; 9:20 Special; If I Were a Bell; The Peacocks; Pretty Woman.

Personnel

Herb Geller

saxophone

Roberto Magris

piano

Herb Geller: alto saxophone; Roberto Magris: piano; Nikola Matosic: bass; Enzo Carpentieri: drums.

Album information

Title: An Evening with Herb Geller: Live in Europe 2009 | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: JMOOD* RECORDS

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Linley Hamilton Quintet at Black Box
< Previous

Spherical: Dedicated to Thelonious S...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.