Music teacher Pat LaBarbera, on saxophone, wowed the crowd.
photo by stephanie skenderis

Humber professor and jazz sensation Pat LaBarbera hasn’t played music with his two brothers since they were  children, but the three blew the roof off the Lakeshore Campus auditorium last week.

“It’s a hard thing to put together because it’s a big band and it’s hard to get players and venues,” said LaBarbera, who plays the saxophone.

“This is the first actual LaBarbera brothers concert as such, so it’s a thrill for us,” said Joe LaBarbera, on drums.

The brothers performed with the Humber Jazz Ensemble, and all three said they admired the group’s professionalism.

“These guys tore it up,” said John LaBarbera, who conducted the band.

Students with the ensemble returned the compliment.

“It was amazing to play with all three of them,” said third-year music student Eli Bennett, who had  a saxophone solo in the show. “They’re all legends.”

20-year-old Bennett said his current teacher, Pat LaBarbera, makes class interesting by telling stories from the brothers’ time playing with jazz heavyweights.

“Together, they’ve played with all the big names: Tony Bennett, Bill Evans, Elvin Jones, Buddy Rich,” said director of music Denny Christianson, who organized the concert.

For one student, playing with the brothers brought his time studying music full circle. “I remember seeing Joe LaBarbera play with Bill Evans when I first started playing music,” said Jonathan Challoner, an award-winning trumpet player in his fourth year of Humber’s jazz program.

“Whenever musicians come to Humber, they’re always really excited to meet Pat. It’s really cool that we have someone who’s in the spotlight.”