Condoli / Vines

This Herb Geller LP, I found some month ago at a record fair is one of the earliest examples of his own Quartet. As the title suggests Condoli / Vines, his quartet has been enlarged to a sextet for this recording.

Herb Geller lives now-a-days in Germany and has been a appreciated and skilled jazz saxophone player in bands like the Kenny Clarke - Francy Boland Big Band. I heard him at a performance (scroll to last item) ( 13 Oct. 2002 ) with the Rein de Graaff trio at Porgy en Bess in Terneuzen ( The Netherlands) and his performance made an impression to me.

He was inspired, first by Kenny Clarke and later by Charlie Parker. He started his professional carreer with Joe Venuti, came to New York at the age of 21, played with Jack Fina's Band and Claude Thornhill.
He married piano player Lorraine Walsh - she's the piano player at this recording. Two years, after this recording his wife Lorraine died. In 1962 he left the US to live and work in Europe.
At this quartet recording two great names have been added, Conte Candoli on trumpet and Ziggy Vines. The first one, Conte Candoli was a veteran already as he played with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton before. Later he made some great tours with Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne, two other well known West Coast musicians. Ziggy Vines remained an obscure musician - in fact this is the only recording he can be heard at lenghth.
The two bass players became well known too. Red Mitchell, of course, became a very skilled accompanist and is to be found on, maybe, thousand recordings. Also Leroy Vinnegar became a sought after muscian and played with almost everybody in modern jazz. About the drummer I can only say ... watch his nick name.

This is the discographical information of this record:
HERB GELLER SEXTET
Conte Candoli tp, Herb Geller as, Ziggy Vines ts, Lorraine Geller p, Red Mitchell b, Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman dm. Recorded Los Angeles 19 Aug. 1955
- Outpost Incident
- Rocking Chair
- You'd Be so nice To Come Home To
- Crazy He Calls Me

HERB GELLER SEXTET
Conte Candoli tp, Herb Geller as, Ziggy Vines ts, Lorraine Geller p, Leroy Vinnegar b, Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman dm. Recorded Los Angeles 22 Aug. 1955
- Gin For Fluegel Horns
- Tardi At Zardi's
- Owl Eyes
- Vone Mae

This great West Coast Jazz LP was re-issued as an LP in the TRIP "5500" series ( TRIP TLP-5539 )in ca. 1974 and, as far as I know, never re-issued on CD. I think it should .....