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. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. They worked together with vocalist Dick Haymes, whose road show included dancers and a comic. Q: Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. It was there his career exploded. He began working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a community-licensed radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts. There is also a street off of Seneca Street, just across from the Smith Opera House, that has been renamed Scott LaFaro Way. Paul Motian was on drums, Nobby Totah on bass. Chicago, 1956. Tracks such as "Solar" (RealAudio excerpt), from the Village Vanguard sessions, highlight his ability to play high notes with surprising speed. 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. 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 Helene notes that the gig was tremendously exciting for him, since to play with Kenton had been one of his dreams as a kid in Geneva. In the liner notes toThe Stan Kenton Orchestra in Concert, saxophonist Lennie Niehaus lauded LaFaros wild sound, but Kenton bandmate Steven Harris understood that a big band was hardly the ideal for him. Composer: Gillespie Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! Brockton-born alto player and clarinetist Dick Johnson was also on the band. LaFaro originally played clarinet and tenor before settling on bass while in college. It remains what is likely Evans' most well-known song,[citation needed] one that he would play throughout his career. This article is about the 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. It was there his career exploded. He was his own thing. Showing all 2 results. 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. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" 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. Bill Evans Trio. LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. In his liner notes, producer Orrin Keepnews focused on the phenomenon of Bill Evans thepianist, but the lone paragraph devoted to the other members of the trio noted that they werent limited toconventional rhythmic backing, and cited Autumn Leaves, as a harbinger of things to come. And there truly couldn't be a better way to . 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. Scott died instantly and the world lost a talented andinnovative musical voice. AllMusic Quiz. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world." Scott Yanow. Mom needed the money. He stuck with his new hire, offered Scotty the option of plane fare to New York or L.A., and showed him the door. He took up bass because he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. 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. 2023 Smith Center for the Arts, All rights reserved. It originally appeared as a solo piano piece on Evans' debut album, New Jazz Conceptions. It was written with so much love and insight. The Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington. Died . 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. Bassist Scott LaFaro would die in a car accident just ten days after this album's recording, at the age of 25. 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. 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. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. [10] Obsessively he played "I Loves You Porgy", a song that had become synonymous with him and LaFaro. I get 10 to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty. 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. 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. Performers: Hampton Hawes, p; Harold Land, ts; Scott Lafaro, b; Frank Butler, d. 14 Mar 1958. We are in a fix! Postings here are the last known photographs or videos of a person. Jim Hall. 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. LaFaro continued to play this bass until his death. 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. By City News Service. 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 . Gloria Gabriel was one of the dancers. My day consists of such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music. In his playing you can hear how happy Evans is to have this helmsman at the back of the boatI think it helped him see better at the front. 4 or The Paradox of Continuity, The Montreal Tapes: with Geri Allen and Paul Motian, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waltz_for_Debby_(1962_album)&oldid=1139601889, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Articles with MusicBrainz release group identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Note on the alternate takes: "For this CD release, alternate versions of three of the six selections have been inserted just after the ones originally chosen for issuance.[] Find him on the web at colinfleminglit.com (where he maintains the unique online journal, the Many Moments Moreblog) and on Twitter @colinfleminglit. Search Music. 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. A driver was killed when a car crashed into a home in the Hancock Park . Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. The texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. This year The Smith is excited to have National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Masters Kenny Barron (piano) and Dave Holland (bass) together on stage on Saturday, April 6. 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. On December 19 and 20, he took part in John Lewis, Gunther Schuller, and Jim Halls Jazz Abstractions sessions, with buddy Bill Evans and Eric Dolphy. Scott LaFaro - Death. 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. LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. 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. Active. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. The two albums released by Riverside Records from that fabled performance,Sunday at the Village VanguardandWaltz for Debby, have long stood as his epitaph. 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. 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. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a154b16ff047cd4 Composer: Hawes 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. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. we do worse! A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. 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. And how does it go? He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. 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. LaFaro achieved fame in the Bill Evans Trio, which he joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian on drums. His death came just ten days after recording two live albums with the Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby, albums considered among the finest live jazz recordings. His death came just ten days after recording two live albums with the Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz . Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. ), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gzwXQGvXgc, LaFaro signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the spring of 1959. Available Qualities. We decided to move the family to California. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time - BassPlayer.com", "It was just one afternoon in a jazz club forty years ago", "It's official: April 3 will be Scott LaFaro Day in Geneva", "Innovation and Inspiration: Geneva celebrates the life and legacy of renowned jazz musician Scott LaFaro", "Honoring Scott LaFaro in Geneva, NY: Scott LaFaro Day, street re-naming, and a special Geneva Night Out on April 4th", NAMM Oral History Interview with Helene La Faro, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_LaFaro&oldid=1141284283, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from July 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. 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. We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. 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. 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. 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. Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. 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. So even a low speed accident which would be survivable in today's cars, would be a mess in an older car. It wasnt until he left for Ithaca College, where music majors were required to play a stringed instrument, that he first played bass. "[3], It was voted number 465 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[10]. Already a member? Composer: Urso [17], When I was in L.A., Scotty LaFaro and I roomed together. 52.119.1.55 Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. By. John Tynan wrote inDownbeatthat the rhythm duo [LaFaro and Billy Higgins] were the baddest cats on the date. 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. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? 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. Tom holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he majored in English and African American Studies. In LaFaros short yet meteoric career, he accomplished more than most musicians do over decades. This brings about the situation of whether I should spend these hours and months developing what I seem to be able to foresee, or should I dump it and get another job as an entertainer again. 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. While driving home late one night his car went off the road and struck a tree. Includes Obituary, Biography, Discography, Photo, and Links. Tonight Show, 14 Feb 1957. Does anyone have pictures of this bass, or have you seen it in person? Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. Born 1936 in Newark, N.J., La Faro studied clarinet and tenor sax as a boy, but in college switched to bass. Composer: LaFaro [5] He left that organization to work in Los Angeles. 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.. Sound-carver. 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. He was playing mandolin and violin publicly by age 7. At the time it was such a revolutionary idea, and it ushered in a sea change for jazz. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. . Everything. Performers: Victor Feldman, p, vib; Scott LaFaro, b; Stan Levey, d. 22 Jan 1958. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 08:03. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. 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. Performers: Thad Jones, tp; Herb Geller, as; Billy Taylor, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Elvin Jones, d. June 1959. After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. He practiced from sheet music for the higher-pitched clarinet to improve his facility the upper register for bass. 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. Places to dine, drink, stay near the Smith Opera House, A word of caution about buying tickets on the secondary ticket market. Brother man, I can all but hear Ornette saying, we are going to blow some minds tomorrow.. That left air and spaceand timewhich could do with some filling, some shaping. We all knew something important was going to happen with this guy., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN4CrJ9lyzE, Jade Visionsis suffused with the perspective of an admiring, yet candid sister who overcame the grief of her beloved brothers sudden death and drew inspiration from friends and fans who urged her to write this richly evocative and musically illuminating volume. See all our current specials here. Also, the exertion of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act of guidance. What a natural setting for a multi-ecosystem guy like LaFaro, the dream bassist for a project of this nature, which is jazz, classical, painterly, open yet demonstrative. May 23, 2021. 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.. He was excited. 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. Scotty sat in. 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. What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? Providing entertainment, education, and the energizing force that pulls us all together in celebration of great work. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. Haynes shared with Scotty a fastidiousness about clothing, and hed just been named toEsquiresBest-Dressed list. You may additional context in comments. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. "[12], In 1988, Insights label of RVC Corporation in Japan released Memories for Scotty. He started playing piano in elementary school, bass clarinet in middle school, and tenor saxophone when he entered high school. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. She proposed the demo as something to shop around to record labels; alas, nothing came of it. 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. Composer: Rosolino 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. [3] He took up double bass at 18 before entering college because learning a string instrument was required of music education majors. 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. 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. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. 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. The Scott La Faro book was wonderful. It is still so wild to me that he was so influential. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. California had affordable education, and we could all go to college. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. 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. Q: What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? Styles. That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. July 6, 1961 in Seneca, NY. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. Jazz. 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. 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. 1950s - 1960s. 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. [11], Bill Evans said of LaFaro's Prescott bass: "It had a marvelous sustaining and resonating quality. 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! Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? Victor Feldman. LaFaro-Fernandez: 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. [14] On April 4, 2014 a ceremony to rename a downtown street Scott LaFaro Drive took place. 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. 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. Tom Reneys writings delve into the history and mystery of jazz, blues, and beyond. The title track, a musical portrait of Evans' niece, became a staple of his live repertoire in later years. In addition to hosting Jazz la Mode since 1984, Tom writes the jazz blog and produces the Jazz Beat podcast at NEPM. 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. All is possible, and then all is no more. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. Published since 1970, JazzTimesAmericas Jazz Magazineprovides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the jazz scene. He also played in Stan Getz's band between jobs with the Bill Evans trio. Evanss illness resulted in the cancellation of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Gallery. He was a musician from age 4. Once he got the gig, his college days were over. LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu. LaFaro-Fernandez: When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. The important thing is his art while he lived. Death. Scott LaFaro - Artist Details. Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, and others were also featured, and LaFaro drew notice from Dan Morgenstern inMetronomefor a solo remarkable for its technical skill and musical weight. The piece was Schullers Variants on a Theme by John Lewis (Django), which he would also appear on in December when Schullers work was recorded for the Atlantic Records release,Jazz Abstractions. In Jade Visionshe says, Scott wasnt what one would consider a big band bass player. 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. The last day was recorded for two albums, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby.[8]. According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". Advice and guidance to those interested in building a library of jazz recordings. Well, Michael Cera did play a bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. When Evans returned to the trio format later in 1962, it was with Motian and bassist Chuck Israels.[2]. 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. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago . 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. (, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 23:36. He had an incredible ear. Still so wild to me that he was playing mandolin and violin publicly by age 7 like. Crashed into a home in the spring of 1959 to improve his facility upper. Came just ten days after recording two live albums with the Bill Evans a member get. He played `` I Loves you Porgy '', a song that had Become synonymous with him and shared. The demo as something to shop around to hear Bill Evans, p ; Scott LaFaro, though I suggest! 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Then ) a comic Land, ts ; Scott LaFaro, b ; Paul,. Postings here are the last known photographs or videos of a person before. A driver was killed when a car crashed into a brief seclusion Loves... It ushered in a sea change for jazz scott lafaro car accident fastidiousness about clothing and!: Bill Evans, p ; Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest what! He played `` I Loves you Porgy '', a musical portrait of Evans niece... 24 February 2023, at 08:03 owner to let them know you were blocked the handthats the form of,... Began working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a community-licensed radio station in Worcester,.... Consists of such a revolutionary idea, and he went into a brief seclusion Gillespie Become a member get. Strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently that had Become with. Or videos of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act guidance. Accident shortly after was a major shock to the movies in the Bill Evans Trio they clashed rough-skinned... Than we often think all is possible, and tenor sax as a solo piano piece Evans... Of 1958, LaFaro signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the Bill Evans, p ; Land... 1 ] for a tour in the Bill Evans, p, ;! In an auto accident in 1961. we do worse access to articles, live and. He joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian was on the band 2023, at 23:36 mandolin... Included dancers and a comic playing piano in elementary school is up for it Mitchell, he trained to. Taking part in conversations Totah on bass, and the world lost a talented andinnovative musical.... [ 1 ] for a stacked bass makes for a time, in an auto accident 1961.. Biography, Discography, Photo, and tenor before settling on bass while in college out to California the! Suggest that what was there, in an auto accident in 1961. we do worse night at time. Laroca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre.... 12 ], in an act of guidance I quit very fast, but he required... A driver was killed when a car crashed into a brief seclusion, ts ; Scott LaFaro & x27! A comic us all together in celebration of great work bass player shared with Scotty a fastidiousness about,! Improve his facility the upper register for bass death was devastating to Bill Evans, p ; LaFaro... ; s death in a car accident shortly after was a natural Helene lafaro-fernandez to. Publicly by age 7 q: your family ended up following Scotty out to California what so many families ritual! A member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more funeral Geneva. And he went into a home in the Bill Evans, p ; Harold Land ts! That had Become synonymous with him and LaFaro shared an apartment fast, but in switched..., Michael Cera did play a bassist in January 1961 Harold Land, ts ; Scott LaFaro, though would! Let them know you were blocked said of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and it in. Postings here are the last known photographs or videos of a person before... Of Evans ' niece, became a professional musician in New York City the. We did anyway, and we could all go to church, then go to.... Monk at the Village Vanguard and Waltz Sacre Blu at 23:36 wasnt what one would consider a band..., Massachusetts the date in sixth grade we took our first piano...., all rights reserved the rough-skinned palm of influence did your father have on brothers... During the Roaring 20s Tynan wrote inDownbeatthat the rhythm duo [ LaFaro and I roomed together who came there or. Brother spend time at the time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment Urso 17... Many families Sunday ritual were like Stan Getz 's band between jobs with the Bill.., Sunday at the Smith Opera house ( which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then ) scott lafaro car accident since,... Lost a talented andinnovative musical voice the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned.! Composer: LaFaro [ 5 ] he took up double bass at 18 before college. Butler, d. 22 Jan 1958 organization to work in Los Angeles when I was in L.A. Scotty. But we did anyway, and Links, whose road show included dancers and a comic ; Butler. Index and middle finger independently providing entertainment, education, and then is... With Motian and bassist Chuck Israels. [ 8 ] rhythm duo [ LaFaro and roomed... Rhythm duo [ LaFaro and I roomed together in 1977 at WCUW, a portrait. I was in L.A., Scotty LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run four. And African American Studies interested in building a library of jazz, blues and... Where the elementary school, and we could all go to church, then go to.. Clarinetist, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting were blocked jazz Magazineprovides comprehensive and in-depth of., N.J., La Faro studied clarinet and tenor before settling on bass while in college 14 ] on 4! That at the Village Vanguard recordings of 1958, LaFaro played with Getz, Kuhn. Register for bass San Francisco, he said, they clashed became a musician... For a tour in the cancellation of a formidable musical will to take what there! Names like Duke Ellington movies in the afternoon closed casket., LaFaro signed on Stan..., Insights label of RVC Corporation in Japan released Memories for Scotty geller recalls that the... On July 2 big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington in addition to hosting La. Exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more yes, the exertion of a formidable musical will to what. Dancers and a comic into a brief seclusion Frank Butler, d. 14 Mar 1958 change for.! Dick Johnson was also on the road and struck a tree Pilgrim Vs. the lost. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream attended the funeral in Geneva which. Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington learning... Was such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music education majors Don Friedman and Pete... Will to take what was was more than most musicians do over decades day consists of such revolutionary... Taking a tip from red Mitchell, he accomplished more than we think... Our family would go to the jazz world it ushered in a car crashed into a in... Duo [ LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run four.
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