Thats his brand of intimacy: the sensation of the stolen moment. My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. The bass was badly damaged in the automobile accident that killed him, but was eventually restored and is sporadically used in performance to honor LaFaro. Search Music. Q: When did your brother start getting interested in music? Other birthdays Monday: Jimmy McGriff, 64; Harold Vick, 19361987; and Eric Kloss, 51. Ornette Coleman was another musician who appeared on the Jazz Abstractions datebut as with Dolphy and Evans, on just half the recordand I often imagine the conversations he might have had with LaFaro during breaks and between takes about what Coleman had in mind for the next day. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. Chuck and Gap Mangione were among the locals hanging out that night, andJade Visionsincludes Gaps recollection of listening to Chet Bakers recording of Grey December with Scotty. It was an idyllic childhood. He got his first professional experience playing bass at Belhurst (with my fathers group). He recorded with pianist Don Friedman as well. I would love to see it. One of the most substantial biographies Ive read in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene LaFaro-Fernandez devoted to her brother Scott. Colin Fleming writes fiction and nonfiction on myriad topicsart, film, music, sports, literature, current eventsfor a wide range of publications, and talks regularly on radio and podcasts. RE: Person I Knew is a tribute to bass legend Scott LaFaro, who died tragically in a car accident 50 years ago this year at the age of 25.Phil Palombi plays the EXACT bass that made Scotty a legend on the Bill Evans Trio, Live at the Village Vanguard Sessions!. You may additional context in comments. To top it off, the old cars didn't have self-sealing gas tanks and as in the case of LaFaro's accident, if they ruptured, frequently resulted in fire. [5] He left that organization to work in Los Angeles. Everyone heard him. Scotty sort of led the way on the bass becoming a solo instrument in its own right. Bassist Scott LaFaro would die in a car accident just ten days after this album's recording, at the age of 25. LaFaro went on to perform with Victor Feldman, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz and Ornette Coleman. My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. ", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ. My sense has always been that the music of this slipstream space needs him, all but knocks on his door and asks the helmsman to come out again. Pianist Prez was then a professor at the New England Conservatory; his student, Read More Explaining the Taubman Approach, Everyone knows that Joe Williams sang the hell out of the blues, but do you know what else he sang the hell out of? Pictures of people only please! 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. LaFaro is one of those players who register to the ears like more than one man, generating a huge amount of sound with ostensibly little effort, and that sound resonating as direct, controlled, economical; this is part of the reason why. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! On date night, people would end up at The Smith. Tracks. Evans stopped performing for several months. That left air and spaceand timewhich could do with some filling, some shaping. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. [3] He took up double bass at 18 before entering college because learning a string instrument was required of music education majors. 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. Scott Yanow, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and career were cut short in July of 1961. I still have people from all over the world knocking at my doorstep, wanting to see where Scotty played. The CD reissue of the album contains several outtakes. Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. 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. . Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. LaFaro died in an automobile accident on July 6, 1961, in Seneca, New York,[5] on U.S. Route 20 between Geneva and Canandaigua,[9] four days after accompanying Stan Getz at the Newport Jazz Festival. What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? [1] With Evans and drummer Paul Motian he developed the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. Three of the tunes from their setBaubles, Bangles and Beads; Where Do You Go; and Airegin were released on CD in 1994. Performers: Victor Feldman, p, vib; Scott LaFaro, b; Stan Levey, d. 22 Jan 1958. In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. "Route 66" songwriter Bobby Troup was the show's host. He was a tremendous talent [who] wanted to go on to greener pastures.Over the next two years, Scotty toured the country with Chet Baker, and worked around L.A. with Hampton Hawes, Harold Land, Buddy DeFranco, Richie Kamuca, Joe Gordon, and Stan Kenton. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. Member Of . An investigation is underway after two people were killed in a crash involving a big rig along the . Scott died instantly and the world lost a talented andinnovative musical voice. At that years Monterey Jazz Festival, LaFaro performed with both the Coleman Quartet and Gunther Schuller. Ornette drew mixed reviews everywhere including Monterey, where his performance of Youll Never Know elicited a scathing review from John Tynan, who said it was patently bad, disturbed, and utterly unhappy. Still, he singled out LaFaro for his brilliant technique and ideas [that] were remarked on by all., Scotty was given to introspective thoughts about where the music was going and what he recognized as the increasing distance between jazzs new direction and the public. LaFaro is heard soloing while George Duvivierplays the bass riff that Percy Heath had introduced on the first recordings of "Django" by the Modern Jazz Quartet. Paul Motian was on drums, Nobby Totah on bass. Stan was playing a melody, and Scott began doubling it. Q: What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. 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. LaFaro is best known as the bassist in Bill Evans' groundbreaking trio, and also worked with Chet Baker, Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins and the Stan Kenton Orchestra. You can read our interview with Holland. That show typically includes stories about LaFaro, who forever changed the jazz worlds concept of what bass playing could accomplish with his counter-melodic style. As he put it, being out with a leader who was a junkie put him at risk of being strandedThe tensions ebbed and flowed [that] afternoon, but strangely enough we were accomplishing what we had set out to doThe lesson to be learned here is probably something about the value of professionalism., While LaFaro was cautious about touring with Evans and eschewed drug use (Kuhn says he was healthy as a pigdidnt smoke, drink, use drugs, but he liked to drive fast), he was intrigued by Bills interest in Zen meditation, which he practiced and discussed with Helene when he stayed with her during a Getz engagement in L.A. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. 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. Read More Joe Williams: Beyond the Blues, As a JazzTimes writer, I can talk about the powers of a dynamic drummer until Im blue in the face: the weight of each tom-toms Read More Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers, America's jazz resource, delivered to your inbox. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. 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. I remember one time Scotty came home with an LP under his arm. After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. We had to have a strong rhythm section and he was definitely of that caliberHe was a dedicated personintolerant of anyone who wasnt giving his best., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngs04EXtDwk. Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. Pianist Pat Moran, who led a trio that Scott toured and recorded with in 1958, says he was was very aware of his genius and used to love to go into clubs and intimidate bass playersHe was quite a character, lots of fun. Moran is little known today as Patti Moran McCoy, butin 1960 LaFaro was quoted ina profile written by Martin Williams forJazz Review, I dont even like any of my records except maybe the first one I did with Pat Moran., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HAbUcKTdcI. There is a grave mistake a prospective listener can make with LaFaro, and when I say what that is, I may come off as somewhat risible, but one must do what is right: loving the Village Vanguard recordings so much that you sleep on the rest of what he achieved as a certain kind of jazz genius. A copy of the latest annual report may be obtained from the Smith Center or from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. Lafaro's innovative bass playing, which combined virtuoso technique with a counter-melodic conception, was captured in all its glory at the Vanguard on June 25, 1961. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. LaFaro continued to divide his time between Getz, Ornette, and Evans in 1961. Composer: Styne / Sondheim Includes Obituary, Biography, Discography, Photo, and Links. Tom Reneys writings delve into the history and mystery of jazz, blues, and beyond. He was a musician from age 4. Helene says that she and Scotty were taken to hear Tony Bennett, the Mills Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie and numerous others. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" LaFaro burned like a meteorite, rising to the top rank of bassists in a few short years and working with a Whos Who ofjazzgreats in the compressed time frame preceding his death at age 25. A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. Published since 1970, JazzTimesAmericas Jazz Magazineprovides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the jazz scene. LaFaro was killed in a car accident near his hometown of Geneva, N.Y., at age 25. Pianist Walter Norris described him as a "wild fire," and said "he never used any stimulants to enhance life, but his every moment was seriously lived to the fullest." Performance & security by Cloudflare. A post-bass bass player, maybe. Perhaps one thinks of the contrast, as I do: the balmy New England coast, sailboats alongside the bandstand, and then the hard, unforgiving asphalt of the interstate. All that listening to the trio had another effect on me. We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. 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). Fraternal guidance, in that this endeavor allowed fellow band members to do what they best did. While his music education began in grade school with piano and then clarinet and tenor saxophone in junior high and high school, he didnt start playing bass until his senior year, and only because a string instrument was required for his enrollment at Ithaca College, where his intent was to major in clarinet and tenor saxophone. Tonight Show, 14 Feb 1957. LaFaro started his professional career playing a German-made Mittenwald double bass but it was stolen in the Spring of 1958. Youre freeboomto lock in on LaFaro, and I do that quite a bit. We were like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. Performers: Ornette Coleman, as; Don Cherry, c; Scott Lafaro, b; Ed Blackwell, d. New York City, 31 Jan 1961. Bud Powell. It will be observed on his birthday anniversary, April 3. 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. I return to the idea of the helmsman, because LaFaro always plays as if hes en route to some vital destination, and hes helping to take other musicians there, and, of course, those of us who are listening in. That huge sound and strength of attack is finger-sprung alone. Gleason commented, It is, however, as a vehicle for bassist Scott LaFaro that the LP really impresses. Later in the year, he toured and recorded with the Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet. She had lost her husband, then four years later lost her son, and she still had young kids to raise. DSD 128 fs (2) DSD 64 fs (2) . Tom was honored by the Jazz Journalists Association with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. You can read our interview with Holland here. Scott LaFaro - Artist Details. He practiced from sheet music for the higher-pitched clarinet to improve his facility the upper register for bass. Bassist Dave Green joins Alyn Shipton to pick the highlights of these, and to trace the other significant records in LaFaro's brief but brilliant career. There is fealty and gratitude in Evans approach to that famed date, and we have our early summer day out with the best of chums, people we feel are our musical friends. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 July 6, 1961)[1] was an American jazz double bassist known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. LaFaro's freewheeling, harmonically advanced bass style with the Bill Evans Trio (1959-1961) opened a door to a wholly new approach to the instrument that influenced a generation of players who followed in his wakeEddie Gomez, Dave Holland, and Marc Johnson, to name just a few. 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. . Musician. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. Once he got the gig, his college days were over. "[12], In 1988, Insights label of RVC Corporation in Japan released Memories for Scotty. 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. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. The Jazz la Mode Blog has plenty to stimulate your interest and curiosity in American music. Chicago, 1956. Though hed previously appeared onGolden Trombonewith Buddy Morrow,The Arrival of Victor Feldmanwas essentially the first LP that showcased his singular gifts. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. 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. He played in a trio or quartet at Belhurst from the time he got back until he died. Dave Green joins Alyn Shipton to pick the essential recordings of fellow bassist Scott LaFaro's brief but brilliant career, including work with Bill Evans. Scotty and I rented a house for Mom and the girls, I got married a few months later and (soon) we all moved into a new house in a new development in West Hills. A Dead Musician Directory Celebrity Page. Scott LaFaro at Newport July 2, 1961 - Killed in a Car Wreck 4 days later. In the mid 1950s, at the Los Angeles music scene, he became known as one of. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFarorecounts how three days after his appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival with the Stan Getz Quartet, hed driven to Geneva, NY to take care of some business related to his mothers home there. Scott LaFaro - Death. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. Active. In Meet Me at Jim & Andy's: Jazz Musicians and Their World, Gene Lees wrote, "The shock of LaFaro's death stayed with Bill for years, and he felt vaguely guilty about itHe felt that because of his heroin habit he had made insufficient use of [their] time togetherAfter LaFaro's death, Bill was like a mane with a lost love, always looking to find its replacement. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. 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.. I get 10 to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty. LaFaro died in an automobile accident on July 6, 1961, in Seneca, New York, [5] on U.S. Route 20 between Geneva and Canandaigua, [9] four days after accompanying Stan Getz at the Newport Jazz Festival. He says that word of the accident reached Getz over the wire through his manager Jack Whittemore, and that all were incredulous at the news. Joining Palombi on this date are Don Friedman and Eliot Zigmund. He lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006. Often controversial, always entertaining, JazzTimes is a favorite of musicians and fans alike. LaFaro achieved fame in the Bill Evans Trio, which he joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian on drums. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. For Evans, Misery offered a glimpse of a relationship to come., Two months later, on December 28, 1959, the Bill Evans Trio made its premiere recording for Riverside,Portrait in Jazz. Composer: LaFaro Helene makes no secret of LaFaros exacting standards and competitive personality, and she quotes many who testify to the same. Scotty sat in. Is that a jazz thing? He was in his second year at college to study music when he joined Buddy Morrow's band and went on a cross country tour. All is possible, and then all is no more. Our Dad was from here. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs . Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. 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. Search for: Search. Evans also went on hiatus after LaFaro's death for a period of several months. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. Q: So if you were all living in California, how was it that your brother was near Geneva when he died? LaFaro joined the Bill Evans Trio in 1959 and, although he would record with Ornette Coleman (including Free Jazz) and gig with Stan Getz, the bassist is best-remembered for his association with Evans, particularly their Village Vanguard recordings of 1961. Both Nat Hentoff and Ralph J. Gleason took note. Stan said fine. Kuhn and drummer Pete LaRoca were Scottys choices, but in the midst of a two-week engagement at the Sutherland Hotel on Chicagos Southside, LaFaro had got tired of LaRocas playing. It is still so wild to me that he was so influential. Rocco Scott LaFaro, in a career that lasted only six years, developed skills on the upright bass that few have been able to match. He wanted the conversation back and forth between each of the players, and he wanted to play melody. Composer: Urso Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. Showing all 2 results. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? Composer: Mercer / Kosma / Prevert LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. Scott LaFaro. Also, Club 86 was bringing in major stars as well. In sum, LaFaro visited Geneva, his home town, spent some time with some local friends, drove one of them to visit a mutual friend, left to return to Geneva, fell asleep at the wheel, hit a tree near Flint, NY, seven miles east of Geneva, and burned to death. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world." Scott Yanow. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. Its no knock on Charlie Hadena formidable pioneer himselfto say that if hes a bass player, LaFaro is something else, to use the Coleman argot. Performers: Stan Getz, ts; Steve Kuhn, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Roy Haynes d. Newport, 2 July 1961. There is also a street off of Seneca Street, just across from the Smith Opera House, that has been renamed Scott LaFaro Way. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. comments . LaFaro left Morrow and settled in Los Angeles in 1957. Nov 13, 2008 #2 Mark Carlsen Oct 4, 2004 He heard what I was doing at the piano, and I heard what he was doing. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Also, the exertion of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act of guidance. Jim Hall. 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.. Styles. The group includes Victor Feldman, Stan Levey, and trombonist Frank Rosolino. On March 5, 2014, the Geneva (New York) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro Day. Today would be the 78th birthday of the great Scott LaFaro, who died in a car accident in 1961. ; Harold Vick, 19361987 ; and Eric Kloss, 51 1958, LaFaro 's death was to! 13 and 15 achieved fame in the Spring of 1958, LaFaro with... Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019 Mills brothers, Dizzy Gillespie and numerous others and Eliot Zigmund trio... With trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15 and she still had young kids to.... The 20th Century left air and spaceand timewhich could do with some filling some! 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