It is still so wild to me that he was so influential. 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. 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.. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world." Scott Yanow. His most recent books are an entry in the 33 1/3series on Sam CookesLive at the Harlem Square Club, 1963, a volume about the 1951 film Scrooge as the ultimate work of cinematic terror, and the story collection, If You [ ]: Fabula, Fantasy, F**kery, Hope. 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. One of the most substantial biographies I've read in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene LaFaro-Fernandez devoted to her brother Scott. Fellow bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. Just about any jazz fan knows that on June 25, the 25-year-old had been in NYC as part of Bill Evans trio at the Village Vanguard, cutting the Sunday live date that will be reissued and repackaged so long as the earth continues to spin. The helmsman remains present to take us many places where we otherwise might not have gone, and no one has steered that ship better than Scott LaFaro. I never knew how Scotty felt about my playing until Paul told me later that the first time Paul heard me it was because Scotty had dragged him out in a snowstorm, "You've got to hear this great bass player with Ornette!"[18]. Born 1936 in Newark, N.J., La Faro studied clarinet and tenor sax as a boy, but in college switched to bass. Tom holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he majored in English and African American Studies. Brockton-born alto player and clarinetist Dick Johnson was also on the band. Oscar Peterson Trio . It was an idyllic childhood. Bill Evans. The tendency is to associate him with classical predilections, but here he is at one of the zeitgeist-shaking avant-garde sessions, and boy, does he drive the sound. The young bassist was friends to other artists and art during his all-too brief sojourn upon the mortal coil. Q: Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ. 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. So even a low speed accident which would be survivable in today's cars, would be a mess in an older car. He worked from sheet music for the clarinet, with its much higher pitch, to improve his command of the bass upper register. The BMW then struck a fourth car which was traveling south on Corbin Avenue. He used a Zen epigram in the closing of his letter to Gloria: Im trying to remember a bit of Zen I like so well: If you seek the fruits ofgood actionso shall they escape you. I try to smile everyday with that., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uugimR8honE, When I asked Kuhn if Scotty had similar anxieties about touring with Getz, he said no, but he recalled a bandstand incident between the bassist and the tenor player whom Kuhn called extraordinarily paranoid. One night at the Blackhawk in San Francisco, he said, they clashed. He said, Man, youve gotta hear this. Search Music. We never got to enjoy it as a concert venue in our day, unfortunately. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers, The 10 Best Jazz Albums of the 1950s: Critics Picks, Year in Review: The Top 40 Jazz Albums of 2022, Year in Review: The Top 10 Historical Albums of 2022, Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers. Composer: Hawes They worked together with vocalist Dick Haymes, whose road show included dancers and a comic. 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. He felt such a strong passion for the bass that he became obsessed with practicing, spending countless hours in the rehearsal rooms at Ithaca College. After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. While driving home late one nighthis car went off the road and struck a tree. Brother man, I can all but hear Ornette saying, we are going to blow some minds tomorrow.. ", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-Z8KuwI7Gc, Jade Visionscredits the demo session that LaFaro made with Steve Kuhn and Pete LaRoca nearly a year later as one where this conversational approach to group dynamics was evident. 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. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. That left air and spaceand timewhich could do with some filling, some shaping. 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. 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. 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. Joe LaBarbera, who drummed in the trio with Evans and Johnson, says, Bill said regarding Scott and the music, that Scott hated it when it remained the same. Tom was honored by the Jazz Journalists Association with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019. A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. Genre. Scott LaFaro - Death. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". I quit very fast, but he was a natural. 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. LaFaro started his professional career playing a German-made Mittenwald double bass but it was stolen in the Spring of 1958. 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. Mom needed the money. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. 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. On March 5, 2014, the Geneva (New York) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro Day. Geller said Goodman was unhappy with his current bassist, and offered to recommend Scotty but cautioned, Bennys very conservative, dont do any of those fast things you can do. The top of the instrument is a three-piece plate of slab-cut fir; the back is a two-piece plate of moderately flamed maple with an ebony inlay at the center joint; the sides are made of matching maple. LaFaro spent most of his days practicing his instrument. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. 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. 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. 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 LaFaro was killed in a car accident near his hometown of Geneva, N.Y., at age 25. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. Q: What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? 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. 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!. Victor Feldman. 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. He got his first professional experience playing bass at Belhurst (with my fathers group). 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. 2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Kuhn remembers hearing that it was a St. Christopher medal that LaFaro always wore that helped to identify his badly burned body. 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. It wasnt until he left for Ithaca College, where music majors were required to play a stringed instrument, that he first played bass. . Youll have to adjust your ears, but theyll fall into line quickly. Its there for a reason, and thats not solely to complement the proof of the magic that occurred at a New York City club in late June 1961. 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!. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. 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. A professor encouraged him to audition for an open spot in the Buddy Morrow Orchestra. 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. When did your brother start getting interested in music? 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. They needed a bass clarinetist, and he promised Scotty that he would be allowed to play clarinet and eventually the tenor sax if he took that position. In a December 29, 1960 letter addressed to his lover Gloria Gabriel, the dancer to whom he dedicated Glorias Step, he wrote, One important thing is that I realize day by day the true artist and musician is becoming more and more meaningless in terms of public comprehension. A record like this could easily have become just a mood disc: sound as fuzzy, woolly painting, in which the experiment becomes an end unto itself, the gesture, the gambit, being everything. 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. 1.1 Gloria's Step [Take 2] 1.2 My Man's Gone Now 1.3 Solar 1.4 Alice in Wonderland [Take 2] 1.5 All of You [Take 2] 1.6 Jade Visions . Performers: Thad Jones, tp; Herb Geller, as; Billy Taylor, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Elvin Jones, d. June 1959. 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. What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? Tales are told of how much John Coltrane practiced, but you could say the same about the bassist from Newark. Born in Newark, New Jersey, United States,[1] the son of a big band musician, LaFaro was five when his family moved to Geneva, New York. Let us be grateful that he didnt rest easy during what would prove to be the last Christmas season of his life, for in December 1960, he was called in for a couple of dates that we must look to every bit as much as the June 1961 Village Vanguard recordings to fully appreciate him. Evans stopped performing for several months. He was a musician from age 4. In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. Other times, its distilled into a moment that seems to transcend itself, and thus it went for Paul Gonsalves, hero of a Newport afternoon. 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. 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. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago today. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Bill Evans Trio. More on his story here. So if you were all living in California, how was it that your brother was near Geneva when he died? Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. He also played in Stan Getz's band between jobs with the Bill Evans trio. 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. Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? 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. 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. Scott was extremely picky and choosy, and he wanted to call the trio. LaFaro completed his first year at Ithaca, but not his second. Scott died instantly and the world lost a talented andinnovative musical voice. Little, another ill-fated star of the period who died at 23 in October 1961, described LaFaro in the liner notes as distant, but closea paradox that resolves only for those who were simpatico. He also recognized Scottys distinctiveness as an innovator who was much more of a conversationalist behind you than any other bassist I know[Hes] technicallyabout the greatest bassist we have. Remarking on the solo LaFaro plays on Bee Tees Minor Plea, the trumpeter said, The bass is a crude and rude instrument, but Scott makes it into something else. Helene says Scotty would have loved being described as something else, since I could remember how excited [he] was when he brought around to play for me the first record of Ornettes he owned,Something Else.. After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. Haynes shared with Scotty a fastidiousness about clothing, and hed just been named toEsquiresBest-Dressed list. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. Toggle filters. Composer: Rosolino My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. 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. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. Click to reveal 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." Composer: Porter: Search for: Search. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! 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. May 23, 2021. Genres. While driving home late one night his car went off the road and struck a tree. 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. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. He told Helene that Scott lived for the bassHe was looking all the time to play. jazz bass Another link(Born: April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ, Died: July 6, 1961 in Geneva, NY)During his tragically short life, Scott LaFaro quickly developed into one of the most advanced bassists around, competing with Charlie Haden and Charles Mingus. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. Stan Levey. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. With my mom and Scotty and my two sisters and then our own kids, we eventually had to build onto the house. AllMusic Quiz. Evanss illness resulted in the cancellation of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Gallery. Each year during the first week of April, The Smith hosts the Scott LaFaro Day Celebration concert that features a contemporary bass player. 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. On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. ", In 1966, Evans spoke with George Clabinabout what he called his "complexand quick relationship" with Scotty, and said his technique was "built throughintuitive insightand fire, as some kind of a spark in him which took over and he would just grab the bass and he would work and work and work and work and he would just lay it down. After Scotty played at the Newport Jazz Festival with Stan Getz (July 1961), he went to Geneva to try to convince the people who had been renting our house to buy it. 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. Tracks. Born . LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu. You can read our interview with Holland. . Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 7 May 1960. Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. He would be playing in the hotel room and hit a quadruple stop that was a harmonious sound, and then set the bass on its side and it seemed the sound just rang and rang for so long. I dont blame him, said Morrow. LaFaro was taken from this world 60 years ago, on July 6, 1961, in Flint, New York, where he was involved in an auto accident a few days after playing with Stan Getz at Newport. It remains what is likely Evans' most well-known song,[citation needed] one that he would play throughout his career. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a154b16ff047cd4 Composer: Styne / Sondheim [1] With Evans and drummer Paul Motian he developed the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. Both Nat Hentoff and Ralph J. Gleason took note. Labels. 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. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. At age 12 he was recommended for the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he was classically trained in violin. LaFaro achieved fame in the Bill Evans Trio, which he joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian on drums. ai! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. And how does it go? Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. He lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006. A post-bass bass player, maybe. LaFaro-Fernandez: My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. 1950s - 1960s. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. 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. July 6, 1961 in Seneca, NY. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" Tom Reneys writings delve into the history and mystery of jazz, blues, and beyond. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was an influential jazz bassist best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. 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 . You know how some people (and you may be one of them) like to go on YouTube and listen to isolated Beach Boys backing vocals and John Bonham drum parts? [My] early years at the university were thoroughly engaging intellectually but were also a time of deep introspection. 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. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . I still have people from all over the world knocking at my doorstep, wanting to see where Scotty played. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. Was honored by the jazz Gallery youll have to adjust your ears, but in College switched bass. Dick Johnson was also on the band of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the College Spa and 's. Through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu love with the Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet shared apartment. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he near!, the Evans dynamic provided him with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village killed. Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu page across the... 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