John LaBarbera

Who is John LaBarbera?

John LaBarbera is a trumpet player and arranger who worked with the Buddy Rich Orchestra during the late 1960s.

Born in Mount Morris, New York, he has performed and written with many big bands. His works have been recorded and/or performed by Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mel Tormé, Chaka Khan, Harry James, Bill Watrous, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Al Cohn, Bill Perkins, and Phil Woods. He is a two-time recipient of the National Endowment For the Arts award for Jazz Composition.

He currently teaches jazz and music industry courses at the University of Louisville. He has also started his own big band, which has released two CDs, On the Wild Side and Fantazm, the former of which was nominated for a Grammy award in 2004.