Pat Barberot (born Ladner Joseph Barberot; March 17, 1926 April 5, 2007) was an American
band leader
A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues ...
. He was the founder and band leader of one of
' longest running
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...
s, the Pat Barberot Orchestra.
From the late 1930s until 2007,
Barberot's band, with his
saxophone
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...
out front, performed its own arrangements of classics including the big band composers
Glenn Miller,
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...
,
Louis Prima
Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...
, and
Sy Oliver
Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader.
Life
Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...
. In 1970, Barberot realized that venues for big band were fading away, so he opened his own club, The Jefferson Orleans North. There his band performed big band hits including ''
In The Mood
"In the Mood" is a popular big band-era jazz standard recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. "In the Mood" is based on the composition " Tar Paper Stomp" by Wingy Manone. The first recording under the name "In the Mood" was released by ...
'', ''
Moonlight Serenade
"Moonlight Serenade" is an American swing ballad composed by Glenn Miller with subsequent lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was an immediate phenomenon when released in May 1939 as an instrumental arrangement, though it had been adopted and perfo ...
'', ''
Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)
"Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)" is a 1936 song, with music and lyrics by Louis Prima, who first recorded it with the New Orleans Gang. Brunswick Records released it on February 28, 1936 on the 78rpm record format, with "It's Been So Long" as th ...
'', ''
Midnight Tango'' and ''
Eager Beaver'' at their weekly concerts for over 35 years.
In August 2005, the flooding that followed
Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the Jefferson Orleans North. Barberot later rebuilt the club and reunited his band, and they resumed performances four months later.
After taking ill in the fall of 2006, Barberot died on April 5, 2007, aged 81. He had served in the United States Navy during World War II.
The Pat Barberot Orchestra continues to play weekly, now under the direction of Pat Barberot's son (and drummer), Bryan Barberot.
The Orchestra and its fans are the subject of a
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
documentary called ''A Place To Dance'', which was scheduled to air on public television stations in the US in summer 2007.
References
External links
*
*
Photo of the Orchestraon the
Louisiana State Museum
The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...
website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barberot, Pat
Musicians from New Orleans
2007 deaths