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. LaFaro and his stellar bandmates pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca run through four jazz standards, including two takes of Sacre Blu. 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. [10] Obsessively he played "I Loves You Porgy", a song that had become synonymous with him and LaFaro. The group attended the funeral in Geneva, which Kuhn adds was closed casket., LaFaro's death was devastating to Bill Evans. He would practice for hours: he had all these Sonny Rollins solos he had written out in bass clef! Scotty sort of led the way on the bass becoming a solo instrument in its own right. Our Dad was from here. Composer: Coleman Scott LaFaro. These two albums, recorded less than two weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_rZZusz90 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbTEgBEaEM4. 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. Los Angeles Fire Department crews were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze. 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. Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. Bassist Scott LaFaro of Geneva had already achieved acclaim when he died in a car accident at the age of 25. He began working in jazz radio in 1977 at WCUW, a community-licensed radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts. At the time it was such a revolutionary idea, and it ushered in a sea change for jazz. 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. Ornettes group with Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell played the Village Gate for three weeks in August and September followed by engagements in Philadelphia and Detroit. He died near Geneva in an auto accident in 1961. This is the best piano player Ive ever heard. It was Evanss 1956 debut album,New Jazz Conceptions. But its a moment were meant to be a part of, that both surrounds us and is for us. 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. It was an idyllic childhood. As weve already noted regarding the time period right around his tragic death, LaFaro packed a lot of art into his days. 1998 Kevin Crosby. After three months at Ithaca College, he concentrated on bass. I would love to see it. LaFaro also played opposite bassist Charlie Haden in alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman's experimental double quartet on Free Jazz. 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. Search for: Search. The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. When Scotty was killed at age 25 (I was 24), I was devastated I couldn't play for months. In 2009 she published a biography about him, Jade Visions: The Life and Music of Scott LaFaro. Available Qualities. 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. Also, Club 86 was bringing in major stars as well. Q: Did you and your brother spend time at the Smith Opera House (which was Schines Geneva Theatre back then)? 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. But we LaFaros have staying quality, and my husband and I just celebrated our 60th year in this house. 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. The entire day's recordings were released in 2005 as The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. That is what so many families Sunday ritual were like. All is possible, and then all is no more. 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. Tracks. 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. AMAGANSETT, N.Y. - Acclaimed tenor saxophonist Robert Berg was killed Thursday when a cement truck skidded across a snow-slicked road and rammed into his sport utility vehicle, East Hampton police said. Beginning in 1955, he was a member of the Buddy Morrow big band. 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 CD reissue of the album contains several outtakes. 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. The trio attracted attention for its style. Those six numbers with LaFaro making up what became the Booker Little album are a masterclass in postbop bass. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. 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. 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. 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 trios legendary performance at the Village Vanguard. Died . The Jazz la Mode Blog has plenty to stimulate your interest and curiosity in American music. Little, another ill-fated star of the period who died at 23 in October 1961, described LaFaro in the liner notes as distant, but closea paradox that resolves only for those who were simpatico. He also recognized Scottys distinctiveness as an innovator who was much more of a conversationalist behind you than any other bassist I know[Hes] technicallyabout the greatest bassist we have. Remarking on the solo LaFaro plays on Bee Tees Minor Plea, the trumpeter said, The bass is a crude and rude instrument, but Scott makes it into something else. Helene says Scotty would have loved being described as something else, since I could remember how excited [he] was when he brought around to play for me the first record of Ornettes he owned,Something Else.. 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. Dont get fancy, no double beatsPlay whats written.LaFaro flew east, passed the audition, and signed on for a six-week tour of one-nighters with Goodman. He waited until we got interested, and then he was totally supportive. 52.119.1.55 Man, woman decapitated after car slams into big rig on 5 Freeway in San Fernando Valley. The portion of Linden Street that runs from Seneca Street to South Exchange. Sign in to continue reading, Sixty years after the bass greats untimely death, a look at his musical legacy beyond the Bill Evans Trio. What were Scotts childhood and teen years like here in Geneva? Performers: Victor Feldman, p, vib; Scott LaFaro, b; Stan Levey, d. 22 Jan 1958. 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. 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. 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. 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. Hes just so damn elegant. 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. 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. 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. Genre. 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!. 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 . 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. Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. It has rolled corners on the bottom and very sloped shoulders on the top, making it easier to get in and out of thumb position. The loss of LaFaro hit Evans hard, and he went into a brief seclusion. 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Later in high school, kids would go to the movies with their friends, or boyfriends, or girlfriends. A copy of the latest annual report may be obtained from the Smith Center or from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. ~ Scott Yanow. Thats his brand of intimacy: the sensation of the stolen moment. 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.. One of the most substantial biographies Ive read in recent years is the 2009 publication that Helene LaFaro-Fernandez devoted to her brother Scott. My day consists of such a singular preoccupationthe physicology of music. 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. 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. Following the Vanguard engagement, LaFaro played with Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Roy Haynes at Newport on July 2. 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. It will be observed on his birthday anniversary, April 3. It was released in 1962. The car, tree and garage all caught fire. 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. We would explore all around our neighborhood on West Street our house was where the elementary school is. Jan. 30, 2021 1:47 PM PT. Gloria Gabriel was one of the dancers. You may additional context in comments. We never got to enjoy it as a concert venue in our day, unfortunately. LaFaro went on to perform with Victor Feldman, Chet Baker, Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton, Stan Getz and Ornette Coleman. Free Jazz did that kind of splicing and segmenting for you, as part of, neatly enough, its original integrated sonic package. She recalls that Zoot Sims so impressed her brother that he was impatient for the intermission to end, and that bassist Leroy Vinnegar hummed all the while he was playing, a habit Scotty later developed as well. Helene says he talked about seeing Duke Ellington for weeks, shaking his head in disbelief of howthey could fool with the melody and make it so much more. As for religion, she says that whenever shes asked, I always answer, We went wherever the music was best. That was Dads criterion, be it a mass at a Roman Catholic church or Friday evening Shabbat dinner at the cantors home., Scottys first instruments were piano, clarinet, and tenor saxophone. 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. Composer: LaFaro ", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ. Tom Reneys writings delve into the history and mystery of jazz, blues, and beyond. 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. LaFaro completed his first year at Ithaca, but not his second. He quoted Evans, who said, Im hoping the trio will grow in the direction of simultaneous improvisationIf the bass player, for example, hears an idea that he wants to answer, why should he just keep playing a background?, Scotty, of course, heard and answered plenty of ideas. Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. LaFaro began by practicing his fingers off. Performers: Buddy Morrow, tb; Walt Stewart, tp; Dick Johnson, as; Scott LaFaro, b; plus unidentified other musicians. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Scott Erickson has been charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Westlake Village that killed two . But he was best known for his collaborations and recordings with the Bill Evans Trio. The texture, however, is the back of the handthats the form of caress, rather than the rough-skinned palm. [3] He took up double bass at 18 before entering college because learning a string instrument was required of music education majors. 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. 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. comments . Everyone heard him. This article is about the 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. [1] He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant[4] on State Street in downtown Ithaca. Youll have to adjust your ears, but theyll fall into line quickly. Evans stopped performing for several months. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was an influential jazz bassist best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. 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