February 28, 2003
Berkeley Voice

By Brian Kluepfel
Correspondent

Patrick Landeza entered St. Mary's College High School in Berkeley barely knowing how to play the harmonica, and graduated able to play four instruments.

Now, though he's foregone the traditional band instruments he learned as a teenager for the sweet sounds of Hawaiian slack key guitar, he credits the late Bobby Barrett, his music teacher at St. Mary's, with opening his ears to a musical universe.

On Thursday, March 6, a cavalcade of Barrett's former students will pay tribute to their late instructor with a concert at Oakland's Calvin Simmons Theater. Among the performers will be Bob Calonico (St. Mary's, class of '72, now director of bands at UC Berkeley), and a reunited group of jazzers from Barrett's 1970's award-winning ensembles.

Landeza, class of 1990, rounds out the show.

"If it wasn't for Bobby Barrett, I wouldn't be playing any instrument," Landeza said. "The Chief, he really helped me out."

The Berkeley-born Landeza said that even prior to his slack key obsession - he's now considered he standard-bearer for the next generation in that genre - Barrett taught him music fundamentals and discipline that have served him well.

"He used to whack that baton on the stand - by the end of the year it had some serious indentations!" Landeza said. "We knew when he had that baton, it was time to be quiet."

Music students at St. Mary's College High School called Barrett "the Chief." With his military bearing and a baton honed by semesters of whacking it on that metal music stand, Barrett's presence was both intimidating and instructional. The results can't be disputed: Barrett's alumni went on to great success in various musical fields.

Barrett led the band at St. Mary's for 28 years, until his death at age 57 in 1991. He was recognized by Berkeley in 1983, when Mayor Gus Newport proclaimed a "Bobby Barrett Day."

A mentor

More significantly, he is remembered by generations of students who considered him a father figure as well as a musical instructor.

"He was as much a mentor as a teacher," said Tara Aubin, developmental assistant for the school.

Landeza noted that the structure Barrett imposed paid off. "In the '70s and '80s, the band won a lot of awards," he said. Among the alumni from those years, Rodney Franklin (class of '76), Nat Courtney (class of '72), Robin Duhe (class of '71), Clarence Jenkins (class of '71), Antone Olivier (class of '70, and now St. Mary's director of visual and performing arts) and Darrell Olivier (class of '72) will reunite their jazz ensemble for the first time in more than 20 years to honor Barrett.

"He really inspired me to learn music," said Landeza, who also fondly remembers day-long shopping expeditions for sheet music in San Francisco with Barrett and other students, concluding in a stop at a local barbecue stand.

"When I or anyone came back (to St. Mary's) to visit he would be proud. I really appreciated that. I wasn't even an accomplished musician at that time."

Scholarships

A new generation of students stands to benefit from the Bobby N. Barrett Scholarship fund. Last year 1,400 patrons attended the concert, and six low-income children received full four-year scholarships to the prep school. Landeza noted the potential impact such magnanimity can provide.

"Bobby Barrett took David Murray off the street, and got him a full scholarship to St. Mary's," Landeza said. "He helped David get another scholarship to go on to college, and that's where he became a monster musician."

Murray is now a jazz saxophone headliner who regularly appears at venues like Yoshi's.

Barrett's influence was felt throughout the East Bay. Thomas Brady, a student from an earlier generation, spoke of Barrett's worth as a teacher and leader in a 1999 speech at De La Salle High School (like St. Mary's, also a Christian Brothers institution at which Barrett taught).

"The Chief taught several generations of students in the spirit of (the school's patron saint) De La Salle himself," Brady said. "He did it all with a style, a dignity and the authority of a gifted teacher - founder of the great music tradition on this campus, developer of numerous amateur and a few professional musicians, faculty leader, supporter of the athletic teams, social studies and religion teacher, big brother and counselor to numerous students and father to some."

In addition to Murray, future members of Digital Underground passed by the legendary baton. Landeza summarized the Chief's legacy: "He taught some major people, and he was a really humble, kick-back guy."

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