In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. Those six numbers with LaFaro making up what became the Booker Little album are a masterclass in postbop bass. 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. He also played in Stan Getz's band between jobs with the Bill Evans trio. Composer: Rosolino Mangione remembersLaFaro calling Baker an American tragedy, and says, Over the years, [Scotts] using the term an American tragedy still strikes me as incredibly ironic and portentous [given what happened] that night., At about 1:45 on the morning of July 6, LaFaro apparently fell asleep at the wheel and veered off Route 5-20, hitting a tree and killing himself and Ottley instantly. Evans stopped performing for several months. 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. Performers: Pat Moran, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Gene Gammage, d. 1958. 1998 Kevin Crosby. More on his story here. ", 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 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. 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). Gloria Gabriel was one of the dancers. LaFaro went on to perform with Victor Feldman, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz and Ornette Coleman. 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. 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]. [10] Obsessively he played "I Loves You Porgy", a song that had become synonymous with him and LaFaro. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. 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.. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. 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. Tragically, LaFaros chance to see how far his talent would take him was cut short when he died in a car crash near Geneva in July 1961 at the age of 25. In the mid 1950s, at the Los Angeles music scene, he became known as one of. Kuhn is uncertain about exactly where he met LaFaro, but says it was most likely when he heard the Evans trio at the Five Spot late in 1959. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. Tonight Show, 14 Feb 1957. A Dead Musician Directory Celebrity Page. 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. Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. [15][16], According to Joachim Berendt, LaFaro's innovative approach to the bass caused "emancipation", introducing "so many diverse possibilities as would have been thought impossible for the bass only a short time before". 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. Grit is not a LaFaro staple, but that does not mean texture isnt. 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. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 28 Dec 1958. "[3], It was voted number 465 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).[10]. 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. Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide Scott LaFaro's life and career were cut short in July of 1961. Everything. 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. My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. But he was best known for his collaborations and recordings with the Bill Evans Trio. Postings here are the last known photographs or videos of a person. Well, Michael Cera did play a bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. LaFaro-Fernandez: My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. Toggle filters. I would love to see it. 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 master of the upright bass, he recorded with Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman before he died in a car crash at age 25. She had lost her husband, then four years later lost her son, and she still had young kids to raise. Stan Levey. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Youre freeboomto lock in on LaFaro, and I do that quite a bit. My dad loved the director, so we had to go and have that experience as well. We are in a fix! 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. He stuck with his new hire, offered Scotty the option of plane fare to New York or L.A., and showed him the door. July 6, 1961 in Seneca, NY. 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 . The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs ever made. It is well remembered as the final performance by the Evans trio of the time, which included bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. 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. We think of LaFaro as a jazz bassist with leanings toward classical music; its the lan, I think. 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. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. Paul Motian was on drums, Nobby Totah on bass. 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. LaFaro-Fernandez: When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. Chicago, 1956. Evans and Dolphy dont feature on a couple tunes, while LaFaro is the constant. There was great rapport. 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!. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . ", 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. And how does it go? Scott LaFaro at Newport July 2, 1961 - Killed in a Car Wreck 4 days later. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? In 1959, after working with trumpeter Chet Baker, bandleader Stan Kenton, vibraphonist Cal Tjader,[6] and clarinetist Benny Goodman, LaFaro returned east and joined Bill Evans, who had recently left the Miles Davis Sextet. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" A post-bass bass player, maybe. By. Bill Evans. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. It wasnt until he left for Ithaca College, where music majors were required to play a stringed instrument, that he first played bass. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. Bill had first heard Scotty with Chet Baker three years earlierNot long after we were back off the Goodman tour, there was a call waiting for Scottythat Bill wanted him to work with him., The first meeting of what became known as the trio took place at a Tony Scott recording date on October 28 and 29, 1959. AllMusic Quiz. When did your brother start getting interested in music? LaFaro continued to play this bass until his death. [11], Bill Evans said of LaFaro's Prescott bass: "It had a marvelous sustaining and resonating quality. Around this time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted to hire him. LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. The 25-year old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. It was written with so much love and insight. The texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ. It was there his career exploded. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. LaFaro was killed in a car accident near his hometown of Geneva, N.Y., at age 25. Providing entertainment, education, and the energizing force that pulls us all together in celebration of great work. Search for: Search. 52.119.1.55 Performers: Hampton Hawes, p; Harold Land, ts; Scott Lafaro, b; Frank Butler, d. 14 Mar 1958. He began working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a community-licensed radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts. 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. LaFaro was honored in 2012 in Geneva, where a street was renamed Scott LaFaro Drive and an annual Scott LaFaroDay was inaugurated. These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. When Evans returned to the trio format later in 1962, it was with Motian and bassist Chuck Israels.[2]. Ted Gioia, in his 1997 survey,The History of Jazz, said, "LaFarotook far greater chances, departing markedly from the traditional walking line, instead offering countermelodies and guitar-like phrases. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. For the 1964 album with Monica Zetterlund, see, The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, "Bill Evans Trio: Sunday At The Village Vanguard & Waltz For Debby", Plays the Theme from The V.I.P.s and Other Great Songs, Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings, Consecration: The Final Recordings Part 2, On Broadway Vol. Evans, LaFaro, and Motian were committed to the idea of three equal voices in the trio, working together for a singular musical idea and often without any musician explicitly keeping time. 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. 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. 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. Sometimes its defined by contrasting stylistic paths that amalgamate into a career, as with Miles Davis. 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? LaFaro left Morrow and settled in Los Angeles in 1957. Your IP: 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. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. He lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006. Our Dad was from here. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Jim Hall. The Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington. 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. 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. Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. It was an idyllic childhood. At the time it was such a revolutionary idea, and it ushered in a sea change for jazz. That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. 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 . 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. Also, the exertion of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act of guidance. 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. Youll have to adjust your ears, but theyll fall into line quickly. 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!. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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." He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. 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. 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? 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. LaFaro achieved fame in the Bill Evans Trio, which he joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian on drums. All is possible, and then all is no more. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. We decided to move the family to California. Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. 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. He played a lot of top, cymbals, and Scotty wanted more drums, says Kuhn. 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. All that listening to the trio had another effect on me. It was released in 1962. 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]. 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. Composer: Urso - The Absolute Sound Scott LaFaro's Pieces of Jade features long-lost material recorded in New York City shortly before the bassist's death in a car accident in 1961. We never got to enjoy it as a concert venue in our day, unfortunately. 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. Includes Obituary, Biography, Discography, Photo, and Links. Composer: Porter Q: What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? The important thing is his art while he lived. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. . Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. 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. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. 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. 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. But LaFaro had a pronounced Dolphy streak too, in that both musicians were playmakers, facilitators, helping others to raise their games by playing theirs at the highest level. He remembered that Scotty was dressed up for the Newport appearance. 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. Upon returning to L.A., LaFaro phoned his friend Herb Geller, who was then playing alto with Benny Goodman in New York. 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. One of the most substantial biographies Ive read in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene LaFaro-Fernandez devoted to her brother Scott. Hes just so damn elegant. Remembering Geneva's jazz legend Scott LaFaro: An interview with his sister Helene LaFaro-Fernandez - Smith Center for the Arts Smith Center for the Arts CONTACT US 82 Seneca Street Geneva, NY 14456 315-781-5483 BOX OFFICE Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES by appointment boxoffice@thesmith.org In addition to hosting Jazz la Mode since 1984, Tom writes the jazz blog and produces the Jazz Beat podcast at NEPM. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. We were like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15. The album included five tracks recorded in New York City during 1961 with pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca.[13]. He had an incredible ear. Today would be the 78th birthday of the great Scott LaFaro, who died in a car accident in 1961. My day consists of such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music. 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. What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? Later we moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground. Composer: Gillespie 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. They spent so much time discussing music, listening to records, at the piano, they were inseparable. 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. ", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ. 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. Before long he mastered the instrument, and he toured with trombonist Buddy Morrow and trumpeter Chet Baker. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. 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. [5] He left that organization to work in Los Angeles. Search Music. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. Man, woman decapitated after car slams into big rig on 5 Freeway in San Fernando Valley. Press J to jump to the feed. He would practice for hours: he had all these Sonny Rollins solos he had written out in bass clef! He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. I get 10 to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. 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. But you always knew that Read More Kelly Sill, Several years ago, one of Danilo Prezs students was suffering from tendinitis. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago today. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world." Scott Yanow. "Route 66" songwriter Bobby Troup was the show's host. We spoke with LaFaro-Fernandez by phone to give us a glimpse on her brothers formative years in Geneva. 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. 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. Composer: Hammerstein II / Kern Showing all 2 results. 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. This album is widely considered to be one of the best in the Evans canon, and the type of emotive interplay between the musicians that at some points seemed almost deconstructed has served as a model for piano trio play. 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. Advice and guidance to those interested in building a library of jazz recordings.
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