Gary Keller

Gary Keller (born October 7, 1953) is a jazz and classical saxophonist, recording artist, a lecturer at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and a Conn-Selmer Artist. He has played with Woody Herman, Frank Sinatra, and Jaco Pastorius, among many over a career spanning more than four decades. He appears on numerous recordings. He has performed in the pit of Broadway orchestras and for television shows.

Biography

Gary Keller is a native of East Aurora, a village near Buffalo, New York. He holds a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia He received his Master of Music (M.M.). from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Keller has studied under Joe Allard, David Liebman, Pat LaBarbera, and Bob Mover among others. Keller was a professor at the University of Miami from 1982-2021. He is a member of the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. He has performed at clubs and jazz festivals, and lectured about jazz and music performance at colleges and universities in the United States, Japan, and Europe.

“Keller’s tunes are an exemplary bunch…A thinkers delight…extremely well done,” according to The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. He appeared on the July/August 2002 cover of Saxophone Journal, a trade publication.

He lectures and teaches at schools around the world, and has been an Artist in Residence at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz and has taught and performed at the Thomas Jefferson Institute, the University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil, and the IASJ Summer Workshop at the Souza Lima Conservatory in São Paulo, Brazil, among others.

Performed with

Keller has appeared with numerous jazz artists including:

Manny Album David Baker Tony Bennett Natalie Cole Vic Damone Michael Feinstein Clare Fischer Billy Hart Woody Herman Dave Liebman Johnny Mathis Chico O'Farrill Jaco Pastorius Jim McNeely Adam Nussbaum Lou Rawls Troy Roberts Lupa Santiago Maria Schneider Frank Sinatra Dr. Lonnie Smith Ira Sullivan Mel Torme Rosanna Vitro Kenny Werner Kenny Wheeler

Bands and combos Keller has appeared with numerous big bands and combos:

Discography Live at UMO (2026) - featuring Jarmo Savolainen, piano, Ulf Krokfors, bass, Markku Ounaskari, drums Fourtified - Miami Saxophone Quartet (2008) Midnight Rumba - Miami Saxophone Quartet with special guests Arturo Sandoval and Jon Secada (2005) Miami Saxophone Quartet Live - Miami Saxophone Quartet (2003) Take Four Giant Steps - Miami Saxophone Quartet (2002) Blues For An Old New Age (1999) - Double-Time Records With Gerry Mulligan Walk on the Water (DRG, 1980)