{"id":3069,"date":"2011-11-05T18:08:49","date_gmt":"2011-11-06T01:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/?p=3069"},"modified":"2011-11-05T21:34:03","modified_gmt":"2011-11-06T04:34:03","slug":"a-birthday-twofer-geller-and-woods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/2011\/11\/a-birthday-twofer-geller-and-woods\/","title":{"rendered":"A Birthday Twofer: Geller and Woods"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two alto saxophonists who came to prominence in the second wave of bebop celebrated birthdays on the same day this week. On Wednesday, November 2, Herb Geller (on the right) turned 83, Phil Woods, (left) 80. Geller has lived in Hamburg, Germany, since 1965. Woods lives in Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania. Both have active international playing careers. Geller\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter Olivia wrote that her dad was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gutted\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when the day before his birthday he got the news of pianist Walter Norris\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death<\/a>; their association went back to the early 1950s. His spirits soon came up, she wrote, and he played two gigs this week, Thursday at a Greek restaurant and his birthday concert last night at the Hamburg Birdland: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So no big celebration or anything out of the ordinary,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Olivia said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just his usual not-showing off personality.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n

Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Geller at a mere 82 not showing off last February at the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen, Scotland, with Paul Kirby, piano; Martin Zenker, bass; and Rick Hollander, drums.<\/p>\n