A number of months ago, I was intrigued by a gig at The Baked Potato featuring “The Band Of Brothers”.
Who were these guys? Ex veterans of WWII?
Much to my pleasant surprise, the quartet consisted of a pair of the hardest bopping brothers in jazz. Joe La Barbera, bust known for his drum work with Bill Evans, brought in fratello Pat La Barbera who is associated with his days playing for Elvin Jones. Bassist Tony Levin, associated with rockers from King Crimson to Peter Gabriel to Stick men, seemed right at home his brother Peter, who held the keyboard chair with the famed Gil Evans.
The concert was a feast for the ears, with the foursome playing bop standards and originals. After the set, Joe La Barbara joked “I’m having a great time, because this is the first time in decades that I’ve been the youngest member of the band!”
There was a comradery and joy that was palpable, and understandably so. These men grew up together, not only as family members but as friends, and the unity of shared lives made for some of the most celebrative sounds I’ve taken in for a long time.
The Bible talks about “brotherly love”, which is where we get the name of the city “Philadelphia”, (of which we won’t go into about it’s own ‘love factor’ at the present time). There is a unique bond between brothers, which is why the Bible points out that it is special if a friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Who else will stand up for you?
For the next two months, we will be featuring interviews with these brothers, and even thrown in an extra La Barbera next month as a bonus.
In the monthly “On One Asked My Opinion, But…” section, I’ve made a list of famous brothers in jazz. And let’s not forget, Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. Family unity comes in many packages.
How is your family? If it’s weak, what can you do to strengthen it? My wife and I both check in with our siblings at least once a week, and my own daughters call each other almost every day. When push comes to shove, family is there. It’s the foundation of society, so don’t let it crumble.
SWINGING SIBLINGS
For this month, I’ve put together a list of famous brothers that have graced our ears. Who did I miss?
- Adrian and Arthur Rollini: Two jazz pioneers of the early 20th Century, Adrian played just about everything from the sax to the “goofus” for everyone from Bix Beiderbecke to The Dorsey Brothers, and Art blew the sax for Benny Goodman
- Benny and Harry Goodman: The famed King of Swing had brother Harry on the bass during the Swing Era
- Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey: The volatile brothers were also the best of their day as trombonist and alto saxist,
having formidable bands together and on their own. - Bing and Bob Crosby: Crooner Bing and Big Band Leader Bob had impressive careers on
their own, with one including a bit more stable family life. - Bud and Richie Powell: Two hard bopping pianists from Philly. Bud pioneered bebop with Bird and Diz, with Richie part of Clifford Brown’s famed quintet with Max Roach
- Lester and Lee Young: Famed saxist Lester literally set the tone for the instrument, with drummer Lee best known for his days with JATP, Goodman, Hampton and Cole.
- Remy and Pascal Le Boeuf: Identical twin brothers playing sax and piano respectively are members of the modern jazz scene
- Hank, Thad and Elvin Jones: Three men from church deacon Henry. Hank being a premier bopping pianist, Thad a trumpeter for Basie and his own famed orchestra, and Elvin the drummer for the classic John Coltrane Quartet. What dinner conversations could those have been!
- Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, Jason: Sons of famed pianist Ellis, Wynton is the trumpet/spokesman for modern jazz, Branford a premier saxist, Delfeayo the trombone
ambassador for the Crescent City and Jason hits the vibes for his own band as well as for Marcus Roberts - Pete and Conti Candoli: Two swinging trumpeters, both making names in Woody Herman’s orchestras, as well as Stan Kenton,
Benny Goodman and the Tonight Show - Ernesto and Amy Cervini: Drummer Ernesto and vocalist Amy are carving out their own niches in the current jazz scene.
- Ray and Bob Eberle: Two baritone vocalists of the Big Band Era, defining the era with the bands of Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller
- Heath Brothers-Percy, JImmy and Tootie served up modern bebop and Modern Jazz for decades:
BONUS-Jorge and Carlos Santana; Gregg and Duane Allman. These brothers were more rockers than jazzers, but they deserve recognition as being household names:
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- EXTRA BONUS –The Boswell Sisters, The Andrews Sisters, The Lennon Sisters. Martha, Connie and Helvetia Boswell essentially invented jazz singing back in the day with wild harmonies. Maxene, LaVerne and Patty Andrews defined swinging vocals
during WWII, and Lennon Sisters Kathy, Janet, Peggy and Dianne defined wholesome pop music.
