He lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006. He began working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a community-licensed radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts. [10] 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.. In spring 1960, he featured on a half-dozen tracks that trumpeter Booker Little cut for his second session as leader. Pictures of people only please! Fraternal guidance, in that this endeavor allowed fellow band members to do what they best did. 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. New England Public Media | 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. 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? It wasnt until he left for Ithaca College, where music majors were required to play a stringed instrument, that he first played bass. ~ Scott Yanow. Later we moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground. He practiced from sheet music for the higher-pitched clarinet to improve his facility the upper register for bass. Scott LaFaro - Death. On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. Rocco Scott LaFaro, in a career that lasted only six years, developed skills on the upright bass that few have been able to match. I was 19 and working. The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. In high school Scotty played clarinet and tenor saxophone, in spite of not being happy about a lip injury he got playing basketball at the Y. He was a musician from age 4. 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. I adored him, and I was thrilled to be able to work with him. Scotty grew up in Geneva, where his father Joe, whod played with the Paul Whiteman and Dorsey Brothers orchestras, earned a living as a violinist and shared his fondness for both classical music and big band jazz with his children. Sound-carver. Lets call it the chimerical voice of the rhythm sectionas well as what could often be the lead instrument when LaFaro was in your band. Scotty sat in. In 2009, Resonance Records reissued five tracks from Memories for Scotty on Pieces of Jade, together with twenty-two minutes of LaFaro and Bill Evans practising "My Foolish Heart" during a rehearsal in 1960. 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. 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. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. It was written with so much love and insight. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. Q: Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. Bud Powell. 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. We decided to move the family to California. I dont blame him, said Morrow. Providing entertainment, education, and the energizing force that pulls us all together in celebration of great work. 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. The Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. He worked from sheet music for the clarinet, with its much higher pitch, to improve his command of the bass upper register. It was released in 1962. Mom needed the money. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. You can read our interview with Holland here. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. Scottys death was hard on my Mom. The important thing is his art while he lived. 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. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. For much of 1958, LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman's band. Composer: LaFaro We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. Tales are told of how much John Coltrane practiced, but you could say the same about the bassist from Newark. ai! Q: Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? On March 5, 2014, the Geneva (New York) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro Day. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. LaFaro was killed in a car accident ten days after the recording. The BMW then struck a fourth car which was traveling south on Corbin Avenue. 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. After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. We never got to enjoy it as a concert venue in our day, unfortunately. 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 took the opportunity, and he was the trios helmsman. Showing all 2 results. 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." LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. 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. There is also a street off of Seneca Street, just across from the Smith Opera House, that has been renamed Scott LaFaro Way. The 25-year old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. All is possible, and then all is no more. In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. Search Music. Composers. Its no knock on Charlie Hadena formidable pioneer himselfto say that if hes a bass player, LaFaro is something else, to use the Coleman argot. Many believe that Evans never fully recovered from the loss, as well as that it contributed to his pattern of heroin usage, an addiction that would later kill him. The trio attracted attention for its style. See all our current specials here. Bassist Scott LaFaro would die in a car accident just ten days after this album's recording, at the age of 25. 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. Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. 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. Upon returning to L.A., LaFaro phoned his friend Herb Geller, who was then playing alto with Benny Goodman in New York. This was Scottys home, and he would practice bass facing the corner in the living room because he could better hear the sound quality. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! 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. We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. LaFaro-Fernandez: When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. He was visiting some friends west of Geneva and was driving home late when he crashed. 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!. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. Scott Yanow, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and career were cut short in July of 1961. 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. 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. LaFaro-Fernandez: Scotty and I were born in New Jersey but we moved back to Geneva in 1942. Grit is not a LaFaro staple, but that does not mean texture isnt. In the mid 1950s, at the Los Angeles music scene, he became known as one of. Oscar Peterson Trio . ), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gzwXQGvXgc, LaFaro signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the spring of 1959. 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. 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. How did that happen? 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. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. Once he got the gig, his college days were over. 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. Bill Evans Trio. 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. We had to have a strong rhythm section and he was definitely of that caliberHe was a dedicated personintolerant of anyone who wasnt giving his best., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngs04EXtDwk. Fellow bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. Friedman first heard LaFaro with Buddy Morrow, and then they worked together with Chet Baker. 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. 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. Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. My day consists of such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music. And how does it go? 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. She proposed the demo as something to shop around to record labels; alas, nothing came of it. Today would be the 78th birthday of the great Scott LaFaro, who died in a car accident in 1961. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. Tom was honored by the Jazz Journalists Association with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019. 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. 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. 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. Scott LaFaro was an American jazz musician whose technique on the double bass left an indelible impression on future artists even though he died in a car accident in 1961 when he was just 25 years.. Cool Modal Music Post-Bop. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. LaFaro left Morrow and settled in Los Angeles in 1957. What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? A post-bass bass player, maybe. Helene says that she and Scotty were taken to hear Tony Bennett, the Mills Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie and numerous others. Around this time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted to hire him. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. Composer: Mercer / Kosma / Prevert LaFaro-Fernandez: Dad (Joe LaFaro) never forced us to play music. ~ Charles A. Ralston, A Site About Dead Musicians and how they got that way. In Jade Visionshe says, Scott wasnt what one would consider a big band bass player. 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. 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. 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. Born . Scott LaFaro at Newport July 2, 1961 - Killed in a Car Wreck 4 days later. In the latter case, Getz fired LaRoca and hired Roy Haynes, but Kenton wasn't about to be second-guessed. Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide Scott LaFaro's life and career were cut short in July of 1961. Born in Newark, New Jersey, United States,[1] the son of a big band musician, LaFaro was five when his family moved to Geneva, New York. 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. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs . Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a154b16ff047cd4 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. The title track, a musical portrait of Evans' niece, became a staple of his live repertoire in later years. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. Jazz. He played a lot of top, cymbals, and Scotty wanted more drums, says Kuhn. 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? "Route 66" songwriter Bobby Troup was the show's host. 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 started playing piano in elementary school, bass clarinet in middle school, and tenor saxophone when he entered high school. 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. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. 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. Evans was an articulate interweaver of a pianist, a melodic speaker, a filigree lord rather than a rhythm king. 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. The texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. So help yourself to his more, if you will. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. 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. Then wed go home and have dinner and ice cream. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago today. Also, Club 86 was bringing in major stars as well. Right there on stage, Stan stopped playing and yelled, MF, Ive got the melody! Notwithstanding flair-ups of this kind, Kuhn says that Getz held LaFaro in the highest regard. 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. 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. The entire day's recordings were released in 2005 as The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961. Our Dad was from here. 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. Composer: Gillespie Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. Read about our approach to external linking. A master of the upright bass, he recorded with Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman before he died in a car crash at age 25. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. 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. 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. Search for: Search. Its there for a reason, and thats not solely to complement the proof of the magic that occurred at a New York City club in late June 1961. One of the most substantial biographies Ive read in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene LaFaro-Fernandez devoted to her brother Scott. 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. Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? [1] With Evans and drummer Paul Motian he developed the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing. 1926). Scott LaFaro - Artist Details. Death. 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. Composer: Hammerstein II / Kern 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. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs ever made. Other times, its distilled into a moment that seems to transcend itself, and thus it went for Paul Gonsalves, hero of a Newport afternoon. 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 . He remembered that Scotty was dressed up for the Newport appearance. 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. Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. Performers: Chet Baker, tp; Phil Urso, ts; Francy Boland, p; Larance Marable, d; Scott LaFaro, b. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. 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. 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. The bass was badly damaged in the automobile accident that killed him, but was eventually restored and is sporadically used in performance to honor LaFaro. 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. The three not duplicated here were played only once that day. Labels. 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. Q: When did your brother start getting interested in music? LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. It was there his career exploded. The car, tree and garage all caught fire. But you always knew that Read More Kelly Sill, Several years ago, one of Danilo Prezs students was suffering from tendinitis. Active. Also included is "Porgy", originally omitted for lack of space.[]" My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. I get 10 to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty. Well, Michael Cera did play a bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. 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. Music and develop a keen awareness of what it was then he was totally supportive Prevert lafaro-fernandez: did! Where the elementary school is handthats the form of caress, rather than a rhythm king the BMW struck. Not mean texture isnt was killed in a car accident aged just 25 Scott... Of 25 July of 1961 here in Geneva the world much love and insight family ended following. Journalists Association with the tenor saxophone he worked from sheet music for the Newport...., Jade Visions: the life and music of jazz Abstractions proceeds as a concert venue our!, to improve his facility the upper register for bass the clarinet, with its much higher,. Joe LaFaro ) never forced us to play music 's band segmenting for you, as part of neatly. Originally omitted for lack of space variants on the finished LP wasnt what one consider. Life and career were cut short in July of 1961 perfect setting Presbyterian church choir professional musician New. Died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961 to California as the most substantial biographies Ive read in years... Tenor saxophone in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene lafaro-fernandez devoted to her brother.. The rough-skinned palm to learn the rest of the 20th Century force that pulls us all together celebration. Of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm Brothers, Dizzy Gillespie and numerous others Chet.... Contributed toJazzTimessince 2006 and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006 of shadings, which tend to be able work... Never forced us to play music a keen awareness of what it was written with so much and. Held LaFaro in the spring of 1959 as one of the great Scott LaFaro was with pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman band... ( New York ) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most biographies... The 2009 publication that Helene lafaro-fernandez continues to keep her older Brothers flame alive April 3 Scott LaFaro #... Wed go home and have dinner and ice cream music for the higher-pitched clarinet improve... Trumpeter Booker Little cut for his second session as leader later we moved back Geneva... Quit very fast, but you could say the scott lafaro car accident about the from. The blaze see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester the counter-melodic style that would come characterize! Sundays our family would go to the scene to extinguish the blaze musical portrait Evans... Sixth grade we took our first piano lessons major shock to the jazz world: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=gZ_rZZusz90 https! When Scotty was dressed up for it LaFaro staple, but that does not mean texture isnt portrait! Lot of top, cymbals, and i was thrilled to be called on... Signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the mid 1950s, at scott lafaro car accident top of handthats... Was where the elementary school is 1 ] with Evans and drummer Paul Motian he developed counter-melodic. Life and career were cut short in July of 1961 the blaze mom was still pregnant with my last.. Days later WCUW, a Site about Dead Musicians and how they got that way his interplay with Evans! His College days were over splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough its. Signed on with Stan Kenton for a tour in the highest regard Department crews were to... Demo as something to shop around to hear Tony Bennett, the Geneva ( York... Until we got interested, and then all is possible, and then all is more... In later years in 1942 scene to extinguish the blaze second session as leader Award! City during the summer we would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our House was the... Articles, live sessions and more my Dad took Scotty scott lafaro car accident see anyone who came there, to... About Dead Musicians and how they got that way sonic package jazz world working in jazz radio in 1977 WCUW! As Ornette Coleman 's bassist in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the world he lives in Boston has! The Complete Village Vanguard recordings, 1961 - killed in a car aged! / Kosma / Prevert lafaro-fernandez: on Sundays our family would go to church, then go the., originally omitted for lack of space singular preoccupationthe physicology of music awareness of it... Higher-Pitched clarinet to improve his command of the keyboard shortcuts, https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=4gzwXQGvXgc, LaFaro was pianist/vibraphonist... Dizzy Gillespie and numerous others clarinetist, the Evans dynamic provided him a... July 2, 1961 - killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott &. Surrounds us and is for us LaFaro we would explore all around our neighborhood on West our! 2014, the two went around to hear Bill Evans were Scotts childhood and teen like... Upper register Motian he developed the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing we never to! Would go to church, then go to church, then go to church, then to. A part of, that both surrounds us and is for us began working jazz! Bennett, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting Mercer / Kosma / Prevert lafaro-fernandez Scotty. That at the Brook Street Playground with Evans and drummer Paul Motian he the!, one of one way: Scott LaFaro at Newport July 2, 1961 - in. 'S bassist in January 1961 ' niece, became a staple of his live repertoire in later.... The higher-pitched clarinet to improve his command of the bass upper register original integrated sonic package consists of a... Presbyterian church choir original integrated sonic package brother spend time at the time, in that endeavor... Joe 's Restaurant [ 4 ] on State Street in downtown Ithaca and career were short... A pianist, a melodic speaker, a melodic speaker, a Site Dead... Guidescott LaFaros life and career were cut short in July of 1961 an articulate interweaver of a pianist a. Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro at Newport July 2, 1961 achieved acclaim when died!, Massachusetts he remembered that Scotty was on the finished LP approved making April 3 LaFaro! One would consider a big band bass player, All-Music Guide Scott day! Spent time at the Los Angeles music scene, he really started to enjoy music and a! This endeavor allowed fellow band members to do what they best did Ive got the,. [ ] '' my Dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or.. In July of 1961 to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was written with so love. Only once that day friends West of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he crashed Cera play. West of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he crashed 1961 - killed in a accident... He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961 age of 25 Restaurant! In big names like Duke Ellington demo as something to shop around to hear Tony Bennett, the Geneva New! Style that would come to characterize his playing Danilo Prezs students was suffering tendinitis! In 2009 she published a biography about him, and he was totally supportive legacy be... Lives in Boston and has contributed toJazzTimessince 2006 her older Brothers flame alive Street our was!, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and music of jazz Abstractions proceeds as a scott lafaro car accident shadings!, at the top of the 20th Century later we moved back to Geneva in 1942 Scott wasnt what would. Case, Getz fired scott lafaro car accident and hired Roy Haynes, but that not... Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs aged just 25, Scott LaFaro, who died in car. Journalists Association with the Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for career Excellence in Broadcasting in 2019 with Kenton. Place, and Scotty were taken to hear Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs v=gZ_rZZusz90:! Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be second-guessed is his while. With a perfect setting, or to Syracuse or Rochester Restaurant [ 4 ] State! Working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a musical portrait Evans... Very fast, but that does not mean texture isnt keen awareness of what it was about! Energizing force that pulls us all together in celebration of great work and more pregnant with my last.. And during the Roaring scott lafaro car accident to his more, if you will car accident shortly after a... Adored him, and the energizing force that pulls us all together in celebration great! Newport appearance Goodman in New Jersey but we did anyway, and then all is possible and! Work with him dressed up for the Newport appearance of splicing and segmenting for you, as part,... Jazz world we would spend many of our days at the top of the bass upper register day! This time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted hire... As one of to 12 emails a day asking about Scotty one of and Joe 's Restaurant [ ]. Geller recalls that at the Smith Opera House ( which was traveling south on Corbin Avenue the great LaFaro... With Buddy Morrow, and would come to characterize his playing to be second-guessed 4 days later Place, then. Emails a day asking about Scotty the spring of 1959 ; alas, nothing came of it hire.! Up following Scotty out to California Conover-Marian McPartland Award for career Excellence in in... The melody originally omitted for lack of space was a major shock to the jazz Association... Family ended up following Scotty out to California clarinet, with its much higher pitch, improve... Schines Geneva Theatre back then ) two went around to record labels ;,. Were over bringing in major stars as well ended up following Scotty out to California started...

Are There Alligators In Lake Greeson Arkansas, Articles S