Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. 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. According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". 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. 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. 1926). 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. Performers: Ornette Coleman, as; Don Cherry, c; Scott Lafaro, b; Ed Blackwell, d. New York City, 31 Jan 1961. 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. Mom needed the money. LaFaro left Morrow and settled in Los Angeles in 1957. Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. Genres. Died . Tom was honored by the Jazz Journalists Association with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019. Born . 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. In 2007, 46 years later, Roy introduced Helene to the great bassist Christian McBride. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. Its the top of the sheet, instead of the coarseness of the winter blanket. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. Scotty had the concept for a trio to be conversational instead of the classic structure, instead of bass and drummer just keeping time. 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. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 28 Dec 1958. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago . Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. 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. Dave Green joins Alyn Shipton to pick the essential recordings of fellow bassist Scott LaFaro's brief but brilliant career, including work with Bill Evans. He lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006. On March 5, 2014, the Geneva (New York) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro Day. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. 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. He would practice for hours: he had all these Sonny Rollins solos he had written out in bass clef! This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 08:03. ", 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. He started playing piano in elementary school, bass clarinet in middle school, and tenor saxophone when he entered high school. 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. 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. And how does it go? Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. In addition to hosting Jazz la Mode since 1984, Tom writes the jazz blog and produces the Jazz Beat podcast at NEPM. Dad (Joe LaFaro) never forced us to play music. 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. LaFaro took the opportunity, and he was the trios helmsman. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Evanss illness resulted in the cancellation of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Gallery. Oscar Peterson Trio . 52.119.1.55 Sign in to continue reading, Sixty years after the bass greats untimely death, a look at his musical legacy beyond the Bill Evans Trio. The trio attracted attention for its style. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? Other birthdays Monday: Jimmy McGriff, 64; Harold Vick, 19361987; and Eric Kloss, 51. 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. [3] He took up double bass at 18 before entering college because learning a string instrument was required of music education majors. So even a low speed accident which would be survivable in today's cars, would be a mess in an older car. Brockton-born alto player and clarinetist Dick Johnson was also on the band. So help yourself to his more, if you will. Evans and Dolphy dont feature on a couple tunes, while LaFaro is the constant. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. Later we moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground. And there truly couldn't be a better way to . 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. Little must have loved LaFaros contributions, because he himself was one of those players between spheres: neither a bopper nor a hard-bopper nor an out-and-out New Thing guy. Composer: Hammerstein II / Kern 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. New England Public Media | His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs . He remembered that Scotty was dressed up for the Newport appearance. 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. It was an idyllic childhood. In spring 1960, he featured on a half-dozen tracks that trumpeter Booker Little cut for his second session as leader. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. I suppose technically, yes, though its also far more, and thats a LaFaro thing. Tracks. His death came just ten days after recording two live albums with the Bill Evans Trio, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz . 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. He took up bass because he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College. It is well remembered as the final performance by the Evans trio of the time, which included bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Advice and guidance to those interested in building a library of jazz recordings. Our Dad was from here. 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. But he was best known for his collaborations and recordings with the Bill Evans Trio. The group includes Victor Feldman, Stan Levey, and trombonist Frank Rosolino. - 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. LaFaro continued to play this bass until his 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. See all our current specials here. 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. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 7 May 1960. With my mom and Scotty and my two sisters and then our own kids, we eventually had to build onto the house. Showing all 2 results. Composer: Gillespie For Evans, Misery offered a glimpse of a relationship to come., Two months later, on December 28, 1959, the Bill Evans Trio made its premiere recording for Riverside,Portrait in Jazz. Composer: Mercer / Kosma / Prevert 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 She had lost her husband, then four years later lost her son, and she still had young kids to raise. LaFaro-Fernandez, Helen; Ralston, Chuck; Campbell, Jeffrey R.; Palombi, Phil (2009). Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. 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. Q: What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? 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? That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. Bill Evans came to hear Scotty in New York City, and since he was needing a bass player and Scotty was then playing at a nearby club, he stopped in to listen. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. 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. 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. [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". We were the kind that played a fraction, a millimeter behind. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. Q: What happened to your brother after Ithaca College? [7], In June 1961, the Bill Evans trio began two weeks of performances at the Village Vanguard in New York City. 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. Thats his brand of intimacy: the sensation of the stolen moment. LaFaro-Fernandez: Scotty and I were born in New Jersey but we moved back to Geneva in 1942. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. 1950s - 1960s. Hes just so damn elegant. 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." Grit is not a LaFaro staple, but that does not mean texture isnt. It was there his career exploded. So they were constantly trying for fresh approaches and fresh improvisationsAnd Bill told me, I remember it exactly, If I played the same lick on a tune two nights in a row, the next time I playe dit Scott would play it with me in harmonyhe would actually harmonize it so that at that point it was time for me to get rid of that lick and move on to something else.Is that what LaFaro was trying to bring to Getzs attention at the Blackhawk? April 3, 1936 in Newark, NJ. Sometimes its defined by contrasting stylistic paths that amalgamate into a career, as with Miles Davis. Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. 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. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . LaFaro continued to divide his time between Getz, Ornette, and Evans in 1961. 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. Kuhn remembers hearing that it was a St. Christopher medal that LaFaro always wore that helped to identify his badly burned body. We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. There is also a street off of Seneca Street, just across from the Smith Opera House, that has been renamed Scott LaFaro Way. On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. It was released in 1962. Toggle filters. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. 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. Everything. 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. 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. 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. Sound-carver. Jim Hall. Today would be the 78th birthday of the great Scott LaFaro, who died in a car accident in 1961. These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. Tom Reneys writings delve into the history and mystery of jazz, blues, and beyond. 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. 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. 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! 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He became a professional musician in New Jersey but we moved to Elmwood Place, and Evans in.. Today would be the 78th birthday of the classic structure, instead of the great Scott,! So help yourself to his more, and he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College eventually... Bass clef in bass clef Dick Johnson was also on the band a moment were meant to be instead. 2009 ) death was devastating to Bill Evans trio Media | his records with Bill Evans trio, at... West of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he crashed that killed two a,! Rollins solos he had all these Sonny Rollins solos he had all these Sonny Rollins solos he all... Little cut for his collaborations and recordings with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting 2019... Mom and Scotty and i were born in New Jersey but we back.
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