Jef Labes is best known from his work with Van Morrison and Bonnie Raitt.
12 Facts About Jef Labes
1.
2.
Jef Labes has arranged for string and woodwind instruments on numerous albums.
3.
The new musicians, along with Jef Labes, were used for the recording of Morrison's third solo album Moondance.
4.
In 1971 Jef Labes recorded with Jonathan Edwards and appeared on his self entitled debut album Jonathan Edwards.
5.
In Lindsay Planer's allmusic review of the album, Jef Labes is praised for his "rural-flavored piano licks" and the "definite sense of drama" he brings to the album.
6.
Jef Labes is credited on the album as assistant producer.
7.
Morrison had recently assembled an eleven-piece band for his concerts, The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, which Jef Labes had joined to play piano and organ in early 1973, replacing the previous keyboard player James Trumbo.
8.
The band included the string section Jef Labes had arranged for on Hard Nose the Highway, so he was asked to arrange string parts for some more of Morrison's songs for the live performances.
9.
In 1975 Jef Labes was invited to play synthesizer and write arrangements for the former bassist of The Caledonia Soul Orchestra, David Hayes, on his album Logos Through a Sideman.
10.
Also in 1975 Jef Labes played keyboards for Bonnie Raitt on her album Home Plate and for her next studio album Sweet Forgiveness released in 1977.
11.
In 1979 Jef Labes returned to Bonnie Raitt's band for the No Nukes protest concert.
12.
Also in 1979, Jef Labes composed a triptych called Letters for the Northeastern University Choral Society, which received its world premiere in May of that year.