2023 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. They worked together with vocalist Dick Haymes, whose road show included dancers and a comic. A professor encouraged him to audition for an open spot in the Buddy Morrow Orchestra. 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 texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. Q: When did your brother start getting interested in music? According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". Motian operated the same way; if anything, he was even more of a painter than the leader. 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. His sense of time was freer, less tied to the ground beat, than any jazz bassist had previously acheivedIt is not going too far to see this short-lived trio as redefining the nature of the jazz rhythm section. As was, really, LaFaro. He played a lot of top, cymbals, and Scotty wanted more drums, says Kuhn. Lafaro's innovative bass playing, which combined virtuoso technique with a counter-melodic conception, was captured in all its glory at the Vanguard on June 25, 1961. You can read our interview with Holland. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. 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. 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. 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-Fernandez: Scotty and I were born in New Jersey but we moved back to Geneva in 1942. In LaFaros short yet meteoric career, he accomplished more than most musicians do over decades. ~ Charles A. Ralston, A Site About Dead Musicians and how they got that way. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was an influential jazz bassist best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. Scott died instantly and the world lost a talented andinnovative musical voice. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Oscar Peterson Trio . ", 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. 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. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. With my mom and Scotty and my two sisters and then our own kids, we eventually had to build onto the house. He was a musician from age 4. Member Of . Pictures of people only please! comments . The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs . Also, the exertion of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act of guidance. 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. 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. Died . 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. This article is about the 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. Scott LaFaro. Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. 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. Upon returning to L.A., LaFaro phoned his friend Herb Geller, who was then playing alto with Benny Goodman in New York. [citation needed], By late 1960, LaFaro was in demand as a bassist. It was there his career exploded. 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. 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. Around this time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted to hire him. 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. Kuhn remembers hearing that it was a St. Christopher medal that LaFaro always wore that helped to identify his badly burned body. Bill Evans. On date night, people would end up at The Smith. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. John Tynan wrote inDownbeatthat the rhythm duo [LaFaro and Billy Higgins] were the baddest cats on the date. So even a low speed accident which would be survivable in today's cars, would be a mess in an older car. Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide Scott LaFaro's life and career were cut short in July of 1961. Composer: Gillespie I was also told by classical bass players that this also changed things for them because as was with all music pretty much up until then, the bass was considered more of a rhythm instrument only. Joining Palombi on this date are Don Friedman and Eliot Zigmund. It is still so wild to me that he was so influential. 1998 Kevin Crosby. LaFaro originally played clarinet and tenor before settling on bass while in college. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world." Scott Yanow. The title track, a musical portrait of Evans' niece, became a staple of his live repertoire in later years. 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. During World War II the club scene changed and he came back to Geneva where he could find work. 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. This was Scottys home, and he would practice bass facing the corner in the living room because he could better hear the sound quality. Search for: Search. 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 He was in his second year at college to study music when he joined Buddy Morrow's band and went on a cross country tour. 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. Scott LaFaro - Artist Details. 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. Such is the legacy of bassist Scott LaFaro, though I would suggest that what was was more than we often think. [My] early years at the university were thoroughly engaging intellectually but were also a time of deep introspection. Scott Yanow, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and career were cut short in July of 1961. Performers: Thad Jones, tp; Herb Geller, as; Billy Taylor, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Elvin Jones, d. June 1959. Composers. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. 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. 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. You can read our interview with Holland here. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. Jim Hall. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. My day consists of such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. Performers: Victor Feldman, p, vib; Scott LaFaro, b; Stan Levey, d. 22 Jan 1958. Christian said, Scottys playing was the bible for bass playersJimmy Blanton the old testament, Scotty the new., LaFaro spent the evening of July 5 with old friends in Geneva then drove 80 miles west with Frank Ottley to visit another friend in Warsaw who was house-sitting at a place with a good stereo. Scotty had the concept for a trio to be conversational instead of the classic structure, instead of bass and drummer just keeping time. Before that grim July night, LaFaro had been a busy bassist. He got his first professional experience playing bass at Belhurst (with my fathers group). Q: What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. Performers: Stan Getz, ts; Steve Kuhn, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Roy Haynes d. Newport, 2 July 1961. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. Click to reveal At age 12 he was recommended for the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he was classically trained in violin. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" [9], Writing for AllMusic, music critic Thom Jurek wrote of the album: "While the Sunday at the Village Vanguard album focused on material where LaFaro soloed prominently, this is far more a portrait of the trio on those dates Of the many recordings Evans issued, the two Vanguard dates and Explorations are the ultimate expressions of his legendary trio. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. 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 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. 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 played sessions at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, and roomed with fellow bassist Charlie Haden, who recalled the first time LaFaro mentioned Bill Evans. You may additional context in comments. This Third Stream affair has jazz as a major tributary vein, and it has LaFaro to thank for it. Born . Ornette Coleman was another musician who appeared on the Jazz Abstractions datebut as with Dolphy and Evans, on just half the recordand I often imagine the conversations he might have had with LaFaro during breaks and between takes about what Coleman had in mind for the next day. In Jeff Campbells essay, Scott LaFaro: The Complete Musician (an addendum toJade Visions), he singles out the trios performance of So What, saying that LaFaro and Kuhn engage in a brief musical dialogue just prior to the return of the theme[improvising] melodic ideas that are intertwined in a conversational manner. Campbell notes that LaFaros accompaniment on Whats New is much more activethan the traditional conventions of ballad playing., It is an interesting fact, Campbell asserts, That the earliest example of LaFaros active, conversational ballad accompaniment was with Steve Kuhn and not Bill Evans. When I ran this claim by Kuhn, he said, I dont agree with that necessarily. There was great rapport. The BMW then struck a fourth car which was traveling south on Corbin Avenue. LaFaro continued to play this bass until his death. The last day was recorded for two albums, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby.[8]. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. 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. Stan Levey. Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. 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. 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. Performers: Ornette Coleman, as; Don Cherry, c; Scott Lafaro, b; Ed Blackwell, d. New York City, 31 Jan 1961. 1926). Before long he mastered the instrument, and he toured with trombonist Buddy Morrow and trumpeter Chet Baker. While driving home late one night his car went off the road and struck a tree. Today would be the 78th birthday of the great Scott LaFaro, who died in a car accident in 1961. All that listening to the trio had another effect on me. My dad loved the director, so we had to go and have that experience as well. 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. On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. I get 10 to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty. 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. Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. He would have played twenty-four hours a day if he couldHe was learning a mile a minute., Morrows outfit had a big hit with Night Train. The bandleader told Helene, We were a band which was dedicated at the time to mainly rhythm and blues. A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. He was his own thing. 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. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. Performers: Chet Baker, tp; Phil Urso, ts; Francy Boland, p; Larance Marable, d; Scott LaFaro, b. 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. Man, woman decapitated after car slams into big rig on 5 Freeway in San Fernando Valley. Already a member? She writes, What he said not only had an impact on me, but seemed to sum up much of what I had been hearing as I talked to musicians. 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. 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! Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. [3] He took up double bass at 18 before entering college because learning a string instrument was required of music education majors. Waltz for Debby is a live album by jazz pianist and composer Bill Evans and his trio consisting of Evans, bassist Scott LaFaro, and drummer Paul Motian. 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. We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. . 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. Helene makes no secret of LaFaros exacting standards and competitive personality, and she quotes many who testify to the same. It wasnt until he left for Ithaca College, where music majors were required to play a stringed instrument, that he first played bass. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. I adored him, and I was thrilled to be able to work with him. Both Nat Hentoff and Ralph J. Gleason took note. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. Well, Michael Cera did play a bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. LaFaro also played opposite bassist Charlie Haden in alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman's experimental double quartet on Free Jazz. According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". 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.. Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. Dad (Joe LaFaro) never forced us to play music. Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. 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. 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. LaFaro achieved fame in the Bill Evans Trio, which he joined in 1959 and which featured Paul Motian on drums. A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. By City News Service. Everyone heard him. 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. . Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. While driving home late one nighthis car went off the road and struck a tree. He says they formed an immediate friendship, and that musically, Id never felt such an instant connection. Scotty sat in. He took up bass because he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College. 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. Stan was playing a melody, and Scott began doubling it. 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. Three of the tunes from their setBaubles, Bangles and Beads; Where Do You Go; and Airegin were released on CD in 1994. Fraternal guidance, in that this endeavor allowed fellow band members to do what they best did. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. 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. 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. He worked from sheet music for the clarinet, with its much higher pitch, to improve his command of the bass upper register. When did your brother start getting interested in music? 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 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 house later years first professional experience playing bass at 18 before entering because... 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