On Saturday Bert-Kaempfert-Platz in the Hamburg district of Barmbek turned into a fairground. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere. And the weather was kind.

Following a varied family programme in the afternoon, a set played by the Shreveport Rhythm jazz band opened the evening’s entertainment. These four Hamburg musicians have been delighting audiences with their highly individual mixture of musical refinement, hot arrangements, rhythmic drive and entertainment since 2008. After them “Swingschmelze” provided a crash course in Lindy Hop for the dance fanatics among the visitors.

The high point of the Hoffest was the performance by the Berlin Jazz Orchestra with front man Marc Secara. This ensemble headed by Jiggs Whigham (USA) has been an established feature of the German big band scene for more than a decade. The big band’s repertoire includes originals from Count Basie to Thad Jones and the latest big band jazz from Harry Connick jr., Peter Herbolzheimer, Jörg Achim Keller and many more. Here are some impressions.

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Herb Geller was born in Los Angeles and at the tender age of just fourteen he decided to learn to play the alto saxophone. A mere two years later he had his first professional engagement. He played with countless jazz greats and his talent was recognised around the globe. His career took him to Brazil, Portugal and France before he came to Germany in 1962.

Here he spent three years playing in the RIAS big band and then he moved to Hamburg. For 28 years he was one of the outstanding musicians who helped make the NDR dance orchestra into the avant-garde big band that it is today From 1968 onwards he was also a soloist in Bert Kaempfert’s orchestra on all studio recordings and tours. In addition to his own projects, from 1986 onwards he was a professor for saxophone at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg.

“When ten major concerts were given across Germany in 2006 and 2008, Herb Geller was one of the special guest soloists. This was the time when I really got to know Herb well. He was quite a reserved man with exemplary discipline when it came to work. He was always the first to arrive for rehearsals or sound checks. When it came to matters of musical taste, he made constructive suggestions in his own understated way. He was a gentleman and precisely because of this he often surprised me with his highly sophisticated sense of humour. I still have many fine memories of him and his outstanding musical creations!”
Doris Kaempfert

Release: November 22, 2013
Silver Spot Records # 1036003SSR
Order now: www.amazon.de

Herbert Rehbein (1922-1979) was a music producer and conductor, who wrote a variety of internationally known melodies and arrangements as well as being a virtuoso on his instrument, the violin.
The double CD “SOOTHING THE TIGER” consists of all three albums recorded by Herbert Rehbein in the sixties. The sounds produced by Herbert Rehbein and his orchestra represented the very best of musical escapism at the time they were released, but it is amazing how fresh they still sound today.

More information on the double CD can be found here