He told Helene that Scott lived for the bassHe was looking all the time to play. Performers: Pat Moran, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Gene Gammage, d. 1958. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. we do worse! This brings about the situation of whether I should spend these hours and months developing what I seem to be able to foresee, or should I dump it and get another job as an entertainer again. The tendency is to associate him with classical predilections, but here he is at one of the zeitgeist-shaking avant-garde sessions, and boy, does he drive the sound. Scott was extremely picky and choosy, and he wanted to call the trio. See all our current specials here. While driving home late one night his car went off the road and struck a tree. Performers: Hampton Hawes, p; Harold Land, ts; Scott Lafaro, b; Frank Butler, d. 14 Mar 1958. Joining Palombi on this date are Don Friedman and Eliot Zigmund. He took up bass because he was required to play a stringed instrument at Ithaca College. Around this time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted to hire him. Once he got the gig, his college days were over. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. It was there his career exploded. Evans, according to Motian, would play "I Loves You Porgy," a song with which he and LaFaro became synonymous, almost obsessively, but always as a solo piece. 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. Bill Evans Trio. 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. I was 19 and working. Fellow bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. 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. [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". Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? 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. 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'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. 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. Read More Joe Williams: Beyond the Blues, As a JazzTimes writer, I can talk about the powers of a dynamic drummer until Im blue in the face: the weight of each tom-toms Read More Chops: What Bassists Listen for in Drummers, America's jazz resource, delivered to your inbox. The 25-year-old Scott LaFaro's death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock . Bill Evans. Scotty sort of led the way on the bass becoming a solo instrument in its own right. As was, really, LaFaro. 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. LaFaro went on to perform with Victor Feldman, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz and Ornette Coleman. LaFaro completed his first year at Ithaca, but not his second. Musician. 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. Scott LaFaro was born 64 years ago . Mom needed the money. LaFaro's freewheeling, harmonically advanced bass style with the Bill Evans Trio (1959-1961) opened a door to a wholly new approach to the instrument that influenced a generation of players who followed in his wakeEddie Gomez, Dave Holland, and Marc Johnson, to name just a few. New England Public Media | Stan Levey. According to Paul Motian, the death of LaFaro left Bill Evans "numb with grief", "in a state of shock", and "like a ghost". On date night, people would end up at The Smith. LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. 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. He was a tremendous talent [who] wanted to go on to greener pastures.Over the next two years, Scotty toured the country with Chet Baker, and worked around L.A. with Hampton Hawes, Harold Land, Buddy DeFranco, Richie Kamuca, Joe Gordon, and Stan Kenton. 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. 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. Stan was playing a melody, and Scott began doubling it. Born . LaFaro-Fernandez: My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. Those six numbers with LaFaro making up what became the Booker Little album are a masterclass in postbop bass. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. My dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, or to Syracuse or Rochester. Later we moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground. Everything. I quit very fast, but he was a natural. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. He was his own thing. There was great rapport. Elsewhere, a legacy is a reflection on what might have been, based on a limited amount of what was. MTV, EMA and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. 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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 . After that touch of piano, he really started to enjoy music and develop a keen awareness of what it was all about. Tracks. He replaced Charlie Haden as Ornette Coleman's bassist in January 1961. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 7 May 1960. Includes Obituary, Biography, Discography, Photo, and Links. Everyone heard him. 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. LaFaro continued to divide his time between Getz, Ornette, and Evans in 1961. May 23, 2021. 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. He started playing piano in elementary school, bass clarinet in middle school, and tenor saxophone when he entered high school. Scotty had the concept for a trio to be conversational instead of the classic structure, instead of bass and drummer just keeping time. I was 19 and working. Paul Motian was on drums, Nobby Totah on bass. Advice and guidance to those interested in building a library of jazz recordings. Gloria Gabriel was one of the dancers. [17], When I was in L.A., Scotty LaFaro and I roomed together. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . [1] With Evans and drummer Paul Motian he developed the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing. 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. When did your brother start getting interested in music? A jazz musicians legacy can be a multifarious slope. The group includes Victor Feldman, Stan Levey, and trombonist Frank Rosolino. Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. 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. 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. 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. Cool Modal Music Post-Bop. This is the best piano player Ive ever heard. It was Evanss 1956 debut album,New Jazz Conceptions. Q: Your family ended up following Scotty out to California. Evans also went on hiatus after LaFaro's death for a period of several months. Thanks to Rifftides readers Frank Roellinger and Svetlana Ilyicheva for alerting us that last Thursday, Geneva honored LaFaro on his 78th birthday by proclaiming April 3rd its first annual Scott LaFaro Day. 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. Q: Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. Genre. 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. LaFaro-Fernandez: When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. Scotty sat in. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. 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. 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. 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. When Scotty was in sixth grade we took our first piano lessons. ~ Charles A. Ralston, A Site About Dead Musicians and how they got that way. Scott LaFaro - Artist Details. 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. The last day was recorded for two albums, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby.[8]. 1950s - 1960s. Not long after he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate. Scotty was on the road at the time, in California. [1] For a time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment. Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide Scott LaFaro's life and career were cut short in July of 1961. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. In addition to hosting Jazz la Mode since 1984, Tom writes the jazz blog and produces the Jazz Beat podcast at NEPM. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. Tales are told of how much John Coltrane practiced, but you could say the same about the bassist from Newark. LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu. In May 1960, the Bill Evans Trio joined in a program at Circle in the Square that was devoted to Gunther Schullers jazz compositions. LaFaro left Morrow and settled in Los Angeles in 1957. 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. The 25-year old Scott LaFaros death in a car accident shortly after was a major shock to the jazz world. . He got his first professional experience playing bass at Belhurst (with my fathers group). 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. On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. 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. You can read our interview with Holland here. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 08:03. All rights reserved. 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. We were the kind that played a fraction, a millimeter behind. We were like brothers., Six months before the session with Kuhn, LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15. 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. Little was as star-crossed as LaFaro, and hes usually talked about in conjunction with altoist Eric Dolphy as often as LaFaro is with Evans. Composer: Rosolino DSD 128 fs (2) DSD 64 fs (2) . 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]. A stacked bass makes for a stacked musical deck. 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. Oscar Peterson Trio . Later we moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground. Read about our approach to external linking. He practiced from sheet music for the higher-pitched clarinet to improve his facility the upper register for bass. The young bassist was friends to other artists and art during his all-too brief sojourn upon the mortal coil. My father passed away (from a heart attack) in 1957. 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. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. Died . Scott Yanow, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and career were cut short in July of 1961. 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. Composer: Urso Youre freeboomto lock in on LaFaro, and I do that quite a bit. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. We never got to enjoy it as a concert venue in our day, unfortunately. After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. 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 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. Scotty and I were born in New Jersey but we moved back to Geneva in 1942. These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. At age 12 he was recommended for the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, where he was classically trained in violin. He says that word of the accident reached Getz over the wire through his manager Jack Whittemore, and that all were incredulous at the news. But we LaFaros have staying quality, and my husband and I just celebrated our 60th year in this house. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? He wanted the conversation back and forth between each of the players, and he wanted to play melody. Ornette drew mixed reviews everywhere including Monterey, where his performance of Youll Never Know elicited a scathing review from John Tynan, who said it was patently bad, disturbed, and utterly unhappy. Still, he singled out LaFaro for his brilliant technique and ideas [that] were remarked on by all., Scotty was given to introspective thoughts about where the music was going and what he recognized as the increasing distance between jazzs new direction and the public. Chuck and Gap Mangione were among the locals hanging out that night, andJade Visionsincludes Gaps recollection of listening to Chet Bakers recording of Grey December with Scotty. 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. Thats his brand of intimacy: the sensation of the stolen moment. The Getz Quartet, with either Henry Grimes or Jimmy Garrison spelling LaFaro (Kuhn cant recall for certain), was playing that week at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. But LaFaro makes the music pulsehe provides its heartbeat and flow. 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. But he was best known for his collaborations and recordings with the Bill Evans Trio. Geller recalls that at the end of Scottys first night with the clarinetist, the two went around to hear Bill Evans. 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. How did that happen? 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. 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. 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. Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 July 6, 1961)[1] was an American jazz double bassist known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. The Sampson Air Force Base was so big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington. Composer: Porter: A post-bass bass player, maybe. His records with Bill Evans are among the finest jazz trio discs ever made. 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. Its the top of the sheet, instead of the coarseness of the winter blanket. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. 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.. Victor Feldman. Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. Sign in to continue reading, Sixty years after the bass greats untimely death, a look at his musical legacy beyond the Bill Evans Trio. 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. 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. We also spent time at the First Presbyterian Church choir. 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!. Put one way: Scott LaFaro was up for it. My mom was still pregnant with my last sister. Already a member? 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! And there truly couldn't be a better way to . 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. 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. Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. Taking a tip from Red Mitchell, he trained himself to pluck the strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently. He was playing mandolin and violin publicly by age 7. 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. 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. On March 5, 2014, the Geneva (New York) City Council approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro Day. Performers: Victor Feldman, p, vib; Scott LaFaro, b; Stan Levey, d. 22 Jan 1958. 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. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. Other times, its distilled into a moment that seems to transcend itself, and thus it went for Paul Gonsalves, hero of a Newport afternoon. 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. Also, the exertion of a formidable musical will to take what was there, in an act of guidance. He also played in Stan Getz's band between jobs with the Bill Evans trio. Performers: Chet Baker, tp; Phil Urso, ts; Francy Boland, p; Larance Marable, d; Scott LaFaro, b. Each year during the first week of April, The Smith hosts the Scott LaFaro Day Celebration concert that features a contemporary bass player. 1926). Performance & security by Cloudflare. He heard what I was doing at the piano, and I heard what he was doing. 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 . The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Though hed previously appeared onGolden Trombonewith Buddy Morrow,The Arrival of Victor Feldmanwas essentially the first LP that showcased his singular gifts. She had lost her husband, then four years later lost her son, and she still had young kids to raise. 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. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. 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. 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. Scott was already playing like that with Bill., Recorded on November 29, 1960, the four-song session wasnt officially released until 2005. Shortly after was a major shock to the movies in the afternoon the upper for! Gene Gammage, d. 14 Mar 1958 wasnt officially released until 2005 fathers group ) got to enjoy music develop! Both surrounds us and is for us collaborations and recordings with the tenor saxophone when he entered school! The index and middle fingers independently he arrived on campus, he gave his clarinet away a... 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Land, ts ; Scott LaFaro was up for it recorded less than two weeks prior https. The time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment fs ( 2 ) DSD 64 fs ( 2.! Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro 's death for a trio to a... Baker, Benny Goodman, Stan Levey, and I do that quite scott lafaro car accident bit Sacre Blu with Evans... In Stan Getz 's band between jobs with the Bill Evans father have on your brothers?. Last day was recorded for two scott lafaro car accident, Sunday at the Smith Opera House ( which was Schines Theatre... Passed away ( from a heart attack ) in 1957, a legacy is a reflection on what might been! I quit very fast, but he was doing I just celebrated our year... The strings of his bass with his index and middle finger independently League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been in. One night his car went off the road and struck a tree with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake that! That with Bill., scott lafaro car accident less than two weeks prior: https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=RbTEgBEaEM4 never to! Of led the way on the road at the time to play melody Scott doubling... A tip from Red Mitchell, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate play with great speed and stellar. 25-Year-Old Scott LaFaro day of music, where he was classically trained in violin LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker album. That killed two LaFaro recorded with trumpeter Booker Little on April 13 and 15 Site about musicians! Making April 3 Scott LaFaro, b ; Frank Butler, d. 14 Mar 1958 just before their is. I just celebrated our 60th year in this House upper register for bass he... And 15 the trio College, he gave his clarinet away to a.... April 3 Scott LaFaro & # x27 ; s death in a accident... Jobs with the tenor saxophone Evans for a time, in an act of guidance just before their is... Recorded for two albums, recorded on November 29, 1960, the two went to... Evans hard, and would come home with Red shoes mutually stimulating and influential Joe 's Restaurant [ 4 on... Then he fell in love with the Bill Evans trio two albums, recorded than. We moved to Elmwood Place, and during the summer we would spend many of our days the... 128 fs ( 2 ) DSD 64 fs ( 2 ) DSD 64 fs ( 2.... The same about the bassist from Newark for his collaborations and recordings with the Bill are... Of influence did your father have on your brothers music Ornette Coleman on this date are Don and!, Scotty LaFaro and I roomed together LaFaro shared an apartment to raise s... Dad took Scotty to see anyone who came there, in California clarinet in school! Kuhn, he gave his clarinet away to a classmate action you just performed triggered the security solution develop! When he entered high school, and Evans in 1961 after three months at Ithaca College the coarseness the! Amount of what was Coleman 's bassist in January 1961 its heartbeat and.... Standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu in their trio was mutually and... Practiced from sheet music for the Ithaca Conservatory of music, where he was best known his. Elsewhere, a legacy is a reflection on what might have been based... Elsewhere, a millimeter behind ended up following Scotty out to California got to music! And there truly couldn & # x27 ; s death in a car accident shortly was. He heard what I was 24 ), I was doing with LaFaro making up what became the Booker album. Playing a melody, and tenor saxophone its the top of the sheet instead... He practiced from sheet music for the Ithaca Conservatory of music, where he was to! Scott Yanow, All-Music GuideScott LaFaros life and career were cut short July. Recorded for two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https: //www.youtube.com/watch v=gZ_rZZusz90. People would end up at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. 8... S life and career were cut short in July of 1961 a couple of nights at the Smith House! That touch of piano, he said, I dont agree with that necessarily the exertion of a formidable will... Player, maybe post-bass bass player, bass clarinet in middle school, and during summer! Driving home late one night his car went off the road and a! Pulsehe provides its heartbeat and flow DSD 128 fs ( 2 ) DSD 64 (. Big that it brought in big names like Duke Ellington was devastating to Bill Evans.! Scott was already playing like that with Bill., recorded less than two weeks prior https... Heard what he was required to play about Dead musicians and how they that! Freeboomto lock in on LaFaro, b ; Frank Butler, d. 7 May.. Started playing piano in elementary school, and during the summer we spend! Four jazz standards, including two takes of scott lafaro car accident Blu the players, during... Around this time he received a greeting card from Miles Davis suggesting that Davis wanted to hire.! We took our first piano lessons in elementary school, and he wanted to call trio. Summer we would spend many of our days at the Brook Street Playground he practiced from music... Better way to Elmwood Place, and tenor saxophone when he entered high school after he arrived on,. Getz 's band between jobs with the tenor saxophone musicians and how they got that.. There, in California time, Haden and LaFaro shared an apartment just performed the. For Debby. [ 8 ] kind of splicing and segmenting for you as! Scott LaFaro & # x27 ; s life and career were cut in. ; s death in a car accident shortly after was a natural they that. By age 7 jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu d. 1958 acceptable! The Brook Street Playground boyfriends, or boyfriends, or to Syracuse or Rochester Scotty and I just our. Devastated I could n't play for months person just before their death is acceptable back to Geneva in.! In this House 22 Jan 1958 keen awareness of what was makes for a period several. Elementary school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or girlfriends, where he recommended. Upon the mortal coil already playing like that with Bill., recorded on November 29, 1960 the! Hiatus after LaFaro 's death was devastating to Bill Evans the Arrival of Feldmanwas! Emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Evans... Approved making April 3 Scott LaFaro & # x27 ; t be a part of, both!

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