Joel Harbans

Saxaphone, Clarinet, Flute

Inspired by saxophone legends John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and
Sonny Rollins, Joel is a boundary-pushing saxophonist and woodwind specialist whose
sound bridges generations and genres. Whether he's playing hip hop, classical, bebop,
soulful melodies, or infusing soca and Afrobeats rhythms, Joel’s music and teaching
philosophy is a celebration and acknowledgment of jazz’s legacy and its living influence
on today’s soundscape.
Joel obtained his bachelor’s degree at Humber College’s renowned jazz program,
playing and studying with current legends like Pat LaBarbera, and Hilario Duran,
learning the language of the greats and figuring out how to make it speak now. Joel is
as much an educator as he is a performer. Through his charismatic storytelling and
magnetic stage presence, he brings audiences on a journey, unpacking the roots of
jazz, revealing its deep ties to global music and highlighting the ways the greats still
shape the sounds we hear today.
Deeply rooted in both his Toronto home and his Trinidadian heritage, Joel is a pillar of
his community. He curates and hosts performances that entertain, uplift and give back.
His talents have taken him around the world, but Toronto remains his creative anchor,
where he continues to collaborate, teach and innovate.