In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. Security video shows a crash in the Reseda neighborhood of Los Angeles which left a driver dead. Well, Michael Cera did play a bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. Born . Member Of . 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. . Often controversial, always entertaining, JazzTimes is a favorite of musicians and fans alike. Other birthdays Monday: Jimmy McGriff, 64; Harold Vick, 19361987; and Eric Kloss, 51. 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]. April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ. 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. Celebrating the life of Genevas legendary jazz bass hero Scott LaFaro has become an annual event at the Smith Opera House, ever since the City of Geneva declared April 3, his birthday, as Scott LaFaro Day in 2014. It has rolled corners on the bottom and very sloped shoulders on the top, making it easier to get in and out of thumb position. (, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 23:36. May 23, 2021. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. 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. After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. The Scott La Faro book was wonderful. Born 1936 in Newark, N.J., La Faro studied clarinet and tenor sax as a boy, but in college switched to bass. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. Ornettes group with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell played the Village Gate for three weeks in August and September followed by engagements in Philadelphia and Detroit. Showing all 2 results. 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 . It was written with so much love and insight. 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. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. Mom needed the money. LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. Evanss illness resulted in the cancellation of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Gallery. Stan was playing a melody, and Scott began doubling it. In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. Tracks. Genre. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. Paul Motian was on drums, Nobby Totah on bass. Performers: Chet Baker, tp; Phil Urso, ts; Francy Boland, p; Larance Marable, d; Scott LaFaro, b. How did that happen? LaFaro continued to play this bass until his death. 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. Other times, its distilled into a moment that seems to transcend itself, and thus it went for Paul Gonsalves, hero of a Newport afternoon. LaFaro-Fernandez: Scotty and I were born in New Jersey but we moved back to Geneva in 1942. Tracks such as "Solar" (RealAudio excerpt), from the Village Vanguard sessions, highlight his ability to play high notes with surprising speed. Friedman first heard LaFaro with Buddy Morrow, and then they worked together with Chet Baker. He quoted Evans, who said, Im hoping the trio will grow in the direction of simultaneous improvisationIf the bass player, for example, hears an idea that he wants to answer, why should he just keep playing a background?, Scotty, of course, heard and answered plenty of ideas. Its the top of the sheet, instead of the coarseness of the winter blanket. They worked together with vocalist Dick Haymes, whose road show included dancers and a comic. This article is about the 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. Youll have to adjust your ears, but theyll fall into line quickly. 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. LaFaro-Fernandez: Dad (Joe LaFaro) never forced us to play music. Jim Hall. He was playing mandolin and violin publicly by age 7. Evans was an articulate interweaver of a pianist, a melodic speaker, a filigree lord rather than a rhythm king. 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. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. 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. AMAGANSETT, N.Y. - Acclaimed tenor saxophonist Robert Berg was killed Thursday when a cement truck skidded across a snow-slicked road and rammed into his sport utility vehicle, East Hampton police said. 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. LaFaro started his professional career playing a German-made Mittenwald double bass but it was stolen in the Spring of 1958. John Tynan wrote inDownbeatthat the rhythm duo [LaFaro and Billy Higgins] were the baddest cats on the date. Shortly after, their collaboration began. Composer: Hammerstein II / Kern He took up bass because he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College. ", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ. ai! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Is that a bass thing? 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! There is a creek that ran through the park, it would go up past Shuron Optical where they used this rouge chemical to make glass lenses, so the creek was always red. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. Brooklyn, NY The other day at school someone mentioned Red Mitchell taking the bass which was in the car crash that killed Scott LaFaro back to Kolstein's in pieces, and Kolstein, fairly recently, restored it. In fact, the tune Glorias Step, was an outgrowth of his interest in those chords. He also recalls getting the call from Scotty to spell the ailing Evans for a couple of nights at the Jazz Gallery. Freidman, LaRoca, and LaFaro recorded a demo session in 61 thats now available in a companion CD to the biography,Pieces of Jade. A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. There was great rapport. Scotty had the concept for a trio to be conversational instead of the classic structure, instead of bass and drummer just keeping time. It was there his career exploded. He was with Buddy Morrows band (1955-56), toured with Chet Baker (1956-57) and worked during the next few years with Ira Sullivan, Barney Kessel, Cal Tjader and Benny Goodman among others. And youre out, Death letyou out, Death had the Mercy, youre done with your century, done with God, done with the path thru itAllen Ginsberg (b. 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. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. Three of the tunes from their setBaubles, Bangles and Beads; Where Do You Go; and Airegin were released on CD in 1994. When we were in junior high school, Godfrey Brown, the head of the high school music department, would come there to recruit for positions they needed to fill in the band and orchestra. The Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington. 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. "[12], In 1988, Insights label of RVC Corporation in Japan released Memories for Scotty. Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. She had lost her husband, then four years later lost her son, and she still had young kids to raise. Bassist Marc Johnson, who was with Evans between 1978 and his death in 1980, wrote in the liner notes forPieces of Jadethat the Vanguard performance was the highest measure of Scotts musical vision. InJade Visions, he says, I must have listened to those recordingsthousands of timesTo this day, I still dont see how Scott articulated his ideas with such startling clarity and velocity., Johnson also speaks for the continuing hold that the recordings have on listeners touched by their emotional richness. "[3], It was voted number 465 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[10]. LaFaro's death took an enormous emotional toll on Bill Evans, who was, according to drummer Paul Motian, "numb with grief," "in a state of shock," and "like a ghost" after LaFaro's death. In addition to hosting Jazz la Mode since 1984, Tom writes the jazz blog and produces the Jazz Beat podcast at NEPM. 1926). We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. 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. 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. Scott LaFaro - Death. Toggle filters. 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. By. Does anyone have pictures of this bass, or have you seen it in person? 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. My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. He played in a trio or quartet at Belhurst from the time he got back until he died. ), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gzwXQGvXgc, LaFaro signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the spring of 1959. Scotty also befriended the pianist-composer Victor Feldman, and recorded with him and drummer Stan Levey in January 1958. One may even ask the question whether it is possible to love jazz and not love Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby, and I dont think youre being a curmudgeon if you stamp a foot and issue an emphatic No, by Jove!. 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. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. The BMW then struck a fourth car which was traveling south on Corbin Avenue. Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. He says they formed an immediate friendship, and that musically, Id never felt such an instant connection. LaFaro is a potent cup of teaa brilliant future is in store for this youthful bassist from Geneva, N.Y., (Film footage ofLaFarois extremely rare. After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. Composer: Coleman Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was an influential jazz bassist best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? We were like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15. The CD reissue of the album contains several outtakes. Evans stopped performing for several months. Little was as star-crossed as LaFaro, and hes usually talked about in conjunction with altoist Eric Dolphy as often as LaFaro is with Evans. He remembered that Scotty was dressed up for the Newport appearance. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago . 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. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. Fellow bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. 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. Composer: Styne / Sondheim There is also a street off of Seneca Street, just across from the Smith Opera House, that has been renamed Scott LaFaro Way. 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. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. Bud Powell. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. Search Music. Gloria Gabriel was one of the dancers. Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. 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. He's seen here playing "Cherry" and "Chart of My Heart" with saxophonist Richie Kamuca's Quintet on a Stars of Jazz television broadcast on April 7, 1958. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. Also in 2009, the University of North Texas Press published Jade Visions, a biography of LaFaro by his sister Helene LaFaro-Fernandez, with an extensive discography. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. Rocco Scott LaFaro, in a career that lasted only six years, developed skills on the upright bass that few have been able to match. Ailing Evans for a tour in the year, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen of! 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