Pat LaBarbera has long been known as a hard-driving tenor saxophonist who is able to play consistently exciting solos.
Deep in a Dream is a change of pace for
LaBarbera sticks exclusively to ballads, including quite a few that are obscure. Backed by pianist
Don Thompson, bassist
Neil Swainson, and his brother drummer Joe LaBarbera,
Pat shows the influence of
John Coltrane (circa 1957-1958) in his tenor playing while sounding more original on soprano. On either horn, his solos are beautiful as he caresses the rare melodies and makes every note count. This is an underrated and very rewarding set. ~ Scott Yanow