“I was very lucky that I ended up at Berklee, and what I learned about harmony, improvisation, and arranging there is the backbone for how I approach music,” Lorber says. Lorber told Cole that he was about to leave for CalArts to study music and Cole’s response was, “Why are you going there? You should be at Berklee.” Lorber remembers striking up a conversation with Richie Cole ’67, one of the alto saxophonists. As luck would have it, the Buddy Rich Band was performing that night in the group’s hotel. He applied and was accepted to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).īefore he left for California, he and some friends went skiing in the Pocono Mountains on New Year’s Eve of 1970, and got socked in by a snowstorm. He played in a number of bands during his high school years and decided to pursue his growing passion for music in college. Growing up in the same Philadelphia neighborhood as Randy and Mike Brecker, Lorber was surrounded by music. One such moment for Jeff Lorber happened in a snowstorm. In these moments, as if at a crossroad, choices are made that have a lasting impact on everything that follows. Our path in life can often be defined by a small number of key moments.