Jean-Pierre Gebler

Instruments : Baritone saxophone, Composer
Date of birth : 30/11/1937 - Bruxelles (Uccle)
Date of death : 27/12/2006 - Linkebeek

Jean-Pierre GEBLER makes his first acquaintance with the saxophone at age 14.
A year later, he becomes student of Jack SELS.
In 1956/57 he wins, twice, first prize of the BELGIAN HOT CLUB competition.

Very much impressed by Gerry MULLIGAN and Lars GULLIN, he decided to tackle the baritone sax.

In 1958 he joins the band of Jacques PELZER and Benoît QUERSIN, with whom he appears on the historical LP "JAZZ IN LITTLE BELGIUM" with Milou STRUVAY (tp), Joel VAN DROGENBROEK (piano) and Vivi MARDENS (drs).
During that period he also recorded the music of a Belgian film (Venice prize) by Luc DE HEUSCH and meets his friend and accomplice Marc DANVAL, who stars in the movie.
End 1958 he moves to Paris, where he plays a.o. with Chet BAKER, Barney WILEN, René URTREGER, Allen EAGER.

In 1959 he decided to settle down in Portugal and with local musicians founded the first Portuguese jazz orchestra, performing on a regular basis, in quartet, at the Hot-Club of Portugal.
In 1960 he tours Spain, with Chuck ISRAELS, Tete MONTOLIU, Arnie WISE, Jon MAYER and Perry ROBINSON.
In 1962, he participated, with Milou STRUVAY, in the creation of the soundtrack of the first movie of the Portuguese new wave, "O Balarmino", by Fernando LOPES.
In 1963, leading the Hot-club of Portugal quartet, he appears at the festival of Comblain-la-Tour (Belgium). On return to Portugal he plays with Gerry MULLIGAN, Dexter GORDON and Pony POINDEXTER.

In 1967 he returns to Belgium and for economical reasons decides to drop his musical activities.

He picks up his saxophone again in 1982 and appears with Jacques PELZER and Jacques PIROTTON at the Cascais Jazz Festival (Portugal).

In 1984 he records, with Jacques PELZER, Al and Stella LEVITT, Michel HERR, Richard ROUSSELET, Freddie DERONDE the album "JEAN-PIERRE GEBLER AND FRIENDS" (LP on LDH records).

In 1985 he is again at the Cascais Festival with Jon EARDLEY.
In 1986 he founds a quintet with Michael BLASS (p), Jacques PIROTTON (gt), Philippe AERTS (b) and Jan DE HAAS (d), with whom he recorded, in 1988, "J.P. GEBLER QUINTET" (IGLOO).

Another Igloo CD appears in 1993 (Igloo), this time with Michel HERR, Philippe AERTS, Jacques PIROTTON.

December 2001 sees the release of a new album, Jean-Pierre GEBLER Belgian All Stars (Gam 917), arranged for nonet by Michel HERR, with Steve HOUBEN, Gino LATTUCA, Fabrice ALLEMAN, Phil ABRAHAM, Jacques PIROTTON, Sal LA ROCCA and Bruno CASTELLUCCI.
The band appeared in Cascais (Portugal).

Jean-Pierre Gebler died on Dec. 27, 2006, from a heart failure, at the age of 68.