Lorraine Winifred Geller (née Walsh; September 11, 1928 – October 13, 1958) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist. Geller was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

on September 11, 1928. She started out with the all-female

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

Sweethearts of Rhythm, based in New York. She met saxophonist

Herb Geller Herbert Arnold Geller (November 2, 1928 – December 19, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life His mother, Frances ''(née'' Frances Mildred Fullman, al ...

, and married him in 1951. Together they moved to Los Angeles, where they played with many musicians on the

West Coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied rela ...

scene, such as

Shorty Rogers Milton "Shorty" Rogers (born Milton Rajonsky; April 14, 1924 – November 7, 1994) was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arran ...

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

, and

Red Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. Biography Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ba ...

; she also did sessions with

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

. In 1957, she accompanied

Kay Starr Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...

. The following year, she concentrated on bringing up her daughter, so did not often perform, but she did play at the first

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jaz ...

. On October 13, 1958, Lorraine Geller died in Los Angeles; this has been attributed to heart failure or pulmonary infection.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

*''The Gellers'' (EmArcy, 1955) *''Lorraine Geller at the Piano'' (Dot, 1959, recorded 1954)

As sidewoman

With

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

*''

Around the Horn with Maynard Ferguson ''Around the Horn with Maynard Ferguson'' is an album led by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson featuring tracks recorded in 1955 and 1956 and released on the EmArcy label.Minn, M.Maynard Ferguson discographyaccessed October 30, 2015 Rece ...

'' (EmArcy, 1956) With Herb Geller *''Herb Geller Plays'' (Emarcy, 1954) – with

Leroy Vinnegar Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademar ...

bass,

Larance Marable Larance Norman Marable (May 21, 1929 – July 4, 2012) was a jazz drummer from Los Angeles, California. Early life Marable was born in Los Angeles on May 21, 1929. His family was musical, but he was largely self-taught. Later life and career In ...

percussion) *''The Herb Geller Sextette'', Mercury (with e.g.

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orch ...

, Red Mitchell, 1955) With Red Mitchell *''

Presenting Red Mitchell ''Presenting Red Mitchell'' is an album by American jazz bassist Red Mitchell recorded in 1957 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary, 1957) With others *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

''At Last : Miles Davis And The Lighthouse All Stars'' (Contemporary, 1953

985 Year 985 (Roman numerals, CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Henry II, Duke of Bavaria, Henry II (the Wrangler) is rest ...

*Chet Baker, Miles Davis ''Complete performances with Lighthouse All Stars'' (Jazz Factory, 2004) – Lorraine Geller only present on the Miles Davis tracks

References

1928 births 1958 deaths American jazz pianists Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Musicians from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American women pianists 20th-century American pianists {{US-jazz-pianist-stub