Joe LaBarbera plays Calgary

Jazz drumming great Joe LaBarbera performed in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta last night with the Atlantic Jazz Collective featuring Norma Winstone (voice), Mike Murley (tenor saxophone), Florian Hoefner (piano) and Jim Vivian (bass). The whole band put on an inspiring and memorable performance.

I was there and frequent Four on the Floor contributor and CJSW radio host Tim Mah was kind enough to capture these brilliant solo moments and share these great clips of Joe LaBarbera in action:

Thank you Tim!

In particular, Joe's brush playing was phenomenal but what really knocked me out was his dynamic control and wide range of dynamic expression. It was really shocking how quiet Joe could play and how clear and articulate his drumming was.

I asked Joe about this afterwards while he sipped his well-deserved post-gig glass of red wine. Joe said that when he was young he used to play along to his favourite records playing through his stereo system (with no headphones!) that had a low ampage and therefore a low volume threshold. He wanted to hear everything on the record clearly (the bass in particular) so he had to learn how to adjust his dynamics accordingly while playing along to his records. Joe feels that this really informed his dynamic awareness and conceptual approach on the drums. He also commented that this has really served him well over the course of his career.

Joe also stressed the importance of staying super relaxed and holding the sticks/brushes with a loose, relaxed grip. Joe commented that often when drummers try to play quietly they tense up but, in fact, we should do the opposite.

His drumming really was "poetry in motion".

Joe is also one the nicest and warmest human beings you'll ever meet and it was sure a privilege to watch and hear him in action.

Thanks Joe!