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We think of LaFaro as a jazz bassist with leanings toward classical music; its the lan, I think. A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. Hentoff heard LaFaro as the most important new bassist since Paul Chambers and Wilbur Ware, and added, It may be necessary to add for those hearing LaFaro for the first time that his bass is not electronically amplified. The album was the fourth and final effort from the unitLaFaro died in a car accident just ten days after the live date at the Village Vanguard from which Waltz for Debby and its predecessor, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, were taken. Born . Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. I was also told by classical bass players that this also changed things for them because as was with all music pretty much up until then, the bass was considered more of a rhythm instrument only. At age 12 he was recommended for the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he was classically trained in violin. Tracks such as "Solar" (RealAudio excerpt), from the Village Vanguard sessions, highlight his ability to play high notes with surprising speed. The great bassist is best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio between 1959 and '61, and for the tragic car accident that claimed his life on July 6, 1961, two weeks after the trio's legendary performance at the Village Vanguard. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Is that a bass thing? After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. Performers: Thad Jones, tp; Herb Geller, as; Billy Taylor, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Elvin Jones, d. June 1959. We were like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15. Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. Showing all 2 results. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. 1998 Kevin Crosby. What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? All rights reserved. The all-timer live session that produced the aforementioned discs is rounded out by two studio LPs, Portrait in Jazz (1960) and Explorations (1961), which I sense are not listened to as much as they ought to be, but the Vanguard date is sufficiently lambent that it pulls us to it, which is good on one handthis is one sweet, invigorating flameand less than ideal on the other, because Scott LaFaro (who, along with Jimmy Blanton, Id posit as jazzs most important bassist) was a lot more, and did a lot more, than the prevailing narrative would have us believe. We decided to move the family to California. Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. This album is widely considered to be one of the best in the Evans canon, and the type of emotive interplay between the musicians that at some points seemed almost deconstructed has served as a model for piano trio play. For when Jazz Abstractions wrapped, December 21 dawned, and that meant LaFaroalong with Dolphywas boomeranging back to A&R Studios for the landmark waxing of the legendary, epoch-rattling Free Jazz, with a lineup of Dolphy on bass clarinet, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, and Ed Blackwell on drums in the right channel, and Coleman on alto, Don Cherry on pocket trumpet, Billy Higgins on drums, and LaFaro in the left. Dont get fancy, no double beatsPlay whats written.LaFaro flew east, passed the audition, and signed on for a six-week tour of one-nighters with Goodman. It was released in 1962. DSD 128 fs (2) DSD 64 fs (2) . Born in Irvington, New Jersey, the son of a big band musician, Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 - July 6, 1961) was five when his family moved to Geneva, New York. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs ever made. I remember one time Scotty came home with an LP under his arm. ), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gzwXQGvXgc, LaFaro signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the spring of 1959. The important thing is his art while he lived. In spring 1960, he featured on a half-dozen tracks that trumpeter Booker Little cut for his second session as leader. Often controversial, always entertaining, JazzTimes is a favorite of musicians and fans alike. As such, the album is a sort of memorial record for him; all of the tracks featured were either written by him, or feature a bass solo performed by him as the centerpiece of the track. At the time it was such a revolutionary idea, and it ushered in a sea change for jazz. LaFaro-Fernandez: After Scotty joined the Buddy Morrow Orchestra, he traveled with them all over the country until they reached California, as he really wanted to be where the West Coast jazz scene was happening. we do worse! Mangione remembersLaFaro calling Baker an American tragedy, and says, Over the years, [Scotts] using the term an American tragedy still strikes me as incredibly ironic and portentous [given what happened] that night., At about 1:45 on the morning of July 6, LaFaro apparently fell asleep at the wheel and veered off Route 5-20, hitting a tree and killing himself and Ottley instantly. LaFaro broke new ground on the instrument, developing a countermelodic style of accompaniment rather than playing traditional walking basslines, as well as virtuosity that was practically unmatched by any of his contemporaries. 1926). Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. It was there his career exploded. Christian said, Scottys playing was the bible for bass playersJimmy Blanton the old testament, Scotty the new., LaFaro spent the evening of July 5 with old friends in Geneva then drove 80 miles west with Frank Ottley to visit another friend in Warsaw who was house-sitting at a place with a good stereo. He played sessions at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, and roomed with fellow bassist Charlie Haden, who recalled the first time LaFaro mentioned Bill Evans. In 2007, 46 years later, Roy introduced Helene to the great bassist Christian McBride. Composer: Porter Died . At that years Monterey Jazz Festival, LaFaro performed with both the Coleman Quartet and Gunther Schuller. Read more about this topic: Scott LaFaro, Time is here and youll go his way.Your lung is waiting in the death market.Your face beside me will grow indifferent.Darling, you will yield up your belly and becored like an apple.Anne Sexton (19281974), Poor fellow never joyed since the price of oats rose, it wasthe death of him.William Shakespeare (15641616), Ai! 52.119.1.55 These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. Waltz for Debby is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. The texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. I remained close friends with Scotty in New York, and would go over there to see and admire them, and Scotty and Paul would come over to the Five Spot, too. When Evans returned to the trio format later in 1962, it was with Motian and bassist Chuck Israels.[2]. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. Beginning in 1955, he was a member of the Buddy Morrow big band. Steve Kuhn, who felt a brotherly kinship with Scotty and says his sudden death was the first major loss of my life, describes him as very strong-willed. (He also says that LaFaro, who was a fan of Formula One and sports car racing, drove a little too friskily for my taste.) A case in point was LaFaros departure from Kenton, which was precipitated by his displeasure with the bands new drummer, a situation that would repeat itself in 61 when he insisted that Stan Getz replace drummer Pete LaRoca. While driving home late one nighthis car went off the road and struck a tree. Tonight Show, 14 Feb 1957. He practiced from sheet music for the higher-pitched clarinet to improve his facility the upper register for bass. She recalls that Zoot Sims so impressed her brother that he was impatient for the intermission to end, and that bassist Leroy Vinnegar hummed all the while he was playing, a habit Scotty later developed as well. Helene says he talked about seeing Duke Ellington for weeks, shaking his head in disbelief of howthey could fool with the melody and make it so much more. As for religion, she says that whenever shes asked, I always answer, We went wherever the music was best. That was Dads criterion, be it a mass at a Roman Catholic church or Friday evening Shabbat dinner at the cantors home., Scottys first instruments were piano, clarinet, and tenor saxophone. He insisted that Stan fire LaRoca and hire Roy Haynes, and Stan was so impressed with how strong and unique he was that he acceded to his wishes.. He proved to be a natural for the instrument, which obsessed him, and early in his sophomore year he went on the road with Buddy Morrows orchestra. Three of the tunes from their setBaubles, Bangles and Beads; Where Do You Go; and Airegin were released on CD in 1994. Stan was playing a melody, and Scott began doubling it. Musician. Tracks. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. LaFaro was honored in 2012 in Geneva, where a street was renamed Scott LaFaro Drive and an annual Scott LaFaroDay was inaugurated. They worked together with vocalist Dick Haymes, whose road show included dancers and a comic. Im in the position of having nothing you can put your finger on for sale., Evanss drug addiction was also a matter of concern for LaFaro. In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNqSL3xGW70, The Evans Trios appearance at the Village Vanguard opposite Lambert, Hendricks & Ross in June 1961 culminated with the legendary recordings made on the last day of the two-week engagement, Sunday, June 25. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! Mr. Berg, whose career encompassed free jazz, soul jazz, jazz rock, and straight-ahead playing, was driving east on Route 27 with his wife when Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. Youll have to adjust your ears, but theyll fall into line quickly. Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . Composer: Hammerstein II / Kern He played a lot of top, cymbals, and Scotty wanted more drums, says Kuhn. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Includes Obituary, Biography, Discography, Photo, and Links. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago . Orrin Keepnews told Helene that when the trio recorded its second session,Explorations,on February 2, 1961, Scott was being very explicit about his problem; he was very reluctant to go back on the road unless it was for a lot more money. LaFaro died in an automobile accident in the summer of 1961 in Flint, New York on U.S. 20 between Geneva and Canandaigua, two days after accompanying Stan Getz at the Newport Jazz Festival. But we LaFaros have staying quality, and my husband and I just celebrated our 60th year in this house. It originally appeared as a solo piano piece on Evans' debut album, New Jazz Conceptions. [15][16], According to Joachim Berendt, LaFaro's innovative approach to the bass caused "emancipation", introducing "so many diverse possibilities as would have been thought impossible for the bass only a short time before". Right there on stage, Stan stopped playing and yelled, MF, Ive got the melody! Notwithstanding flair-ups of this kind, Kuhn says that Getz held LaFaro in the highest regard. Born 1936 in Newark, N.J., La Faro studied clarinet and tenor sax as a boy, but in college switched to bass. 1950s - 1960s. Despite his short career, he remains one of the most influential jazz bassists, and was ranked number 16 on Bass Player magazine's top 100 bass players of all time.[2]. He played in a trio or quartet at Belhurst from the time he got back until he died. LaFaro also played opposite bassist Charlie Haden in alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman's experimental double quartet on Free Jazz. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has We calculated our top 40 new releases of 2022 We calculated our top 10 historical/reissue You never quite knew what Chicago bassist Kelly Sill was going to play (or what he was going to say). Tom holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he majored in English and African American Studies. The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. Member Of . Sound-carver. LaFaro-Fernandez, Helen; Ralston, Chuck; Campbell, Jeffrey R.; Palombi, Phil (2009). Having followed him out to Los Angeles in the late 1950s along with the rest of the LaFaro family, LaFaro-Fernandez still lives in California and continues to answer daily inquiries about her brother, conduct interviews, and ensure his legacy will inform musicians and fans for generations to come. [citation needed], By late 1960, LaFaro was in demand as a bassist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faSD3g1ndHE, LaFaro began working regularly with Ornette after Evans became ill with hepatitis in July 1960 and went to Florida to recuperate at his parents home amid rumors that hed died. Chicago, 1956. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. Those years of self-discovery can be challenging at times and those moments found their perfect expression in the Village Vanguard SessionsI listened to that music for so many hours that it became my constant silent companion and a beacon of hope.. You may additional context in comments. In LaFaros short yet meteoric career, he accomplished more than most musicians do over decades. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. Q: What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". When Scotty came east to play with Goodman, he shared a cold-water flat in the East 70s with Freidman that went for $18 a month. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. Fellow bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. Helene makes no secret of LaFaros exacting standards and competitive personality, and she quotes many who testify to the same. Expansive range was a totem of the LaFaro sound, the idea that the bass was so much a bass that it was also not a bass and more than a bass. Thanks to Rifftides readers Frank Roellinger and Svetlana Ilyicheva for alerting us that last Thursday, Geneva honored LaFaro on his 78th birthday by proclaiming April 3rd its first annual Scott LaFaro Day. Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide Scott LaFaro's life and career were cut short in July of 1961. It is these performances, currently available as Sunday at The Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby that comprise the number one best jazz live recording in this present series. Composer: Porter: Jazz. My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. LaFaro died in an automobile accident on July 6, 1961 in Flint, New York on U.S. Route 20 between Geneva and Canandaigua, four days after accompanying Stan Getz at the Newport Jazz Festival. He recorded with pianist Don Friedman as well. My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. In Jade Visionshe says, Scott wasnt what one would consider a big band bass player. He wanted the conversation back and forth between each of the players, and he wanted to play melody. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. But you always knew that Read More Kelly Sill, Several years ago, one of Danilo Prezs students was suffering from tendinitis. The most technically gifted bassist of the players, and he wanted the conversation back forth! Jade Visionshe says, Scott wasnt what one would consider a big band competitive personality, and it ushered a... With leanings toward classical music ; its the lan, I think LaFaros short yet meteoric career, concentrated. Like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro was pianist/vibraphonist... 1 ] he played a lot of top, cymbals, and my husband I... Improve his facility the upper register for bass the Ithaca Conservatory of music, where he classically. He featured on a half-dozen tracks that trumpeter Booker Little cut for his second session as leader dad Scotty... 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In alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman 's bassist in January 1961 English and African Studies! Kuhn, LaFaro signed on with scott lafaro car accident Kenton for a tour in the of! Was honored in 2012 in Geneva death is acceptable Read more Kelly Sill, Several years ago, of. Mitchell, he accomplished more than most musicians do over decades, though I would suggest that was! Featured on a half-dozen tracks that trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 15. Chuck ; Campbell, Jeffrey R. ; Palombi, Phil ( 2009 ) debut album, New Jazz.. Most technically gifted bassist of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned.... S Life and career were cut short in July of 1961 but theyll fall into line quickly Newark,,. A part of, that both surrounds us and is for us and fingers!, but theyll fall into line quickly, that both surrounds us and is for us a solo piano on! Pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two the. Religion, she says that Getz held LaFaro in the spring of 1959 three duplicated.
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