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. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 28 Dec 1958. "[12], In 1988, Insights label of RVC Corporation in Japan released Memories for Scotty. Scott LaFaro - Death. Become a member and get exclusive access to articles, live sessions and more! Cool Modal Music Post-Bop. [5] He left that organization to work in Los Angeles. In the latter case, Getz fired LaRoca and hired Roy Haynes, but Kenton wasn't about to be second-guessed. It is well remembered as the final performance by the Evans trio of the time, which included bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. 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. He played a lot of top, cymbals, and Scotty wanted more drums, says Kuhn. Sound-carver. LaFaro-Fernandez: Dad (Joe LaFaro) never forced us to play music. Evanss illness resulted in the cancellation of a long engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Jazz Gallery. He recorded with pianist Don Friedman as well. 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. Each year during the first week of April, The Smith hosts the Scott LaFaro Day Celebration concert that features a contemporary bass player. 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. Here is a verbal snapshot of that conversation, edited for clarity. 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. 1.1 Gloria's Step [Take 2] 1.2 My Man's Gone Now 1.3 Solar 1.4 Alice in Wonderland [Take 2] 1.5 All of You [Take 2] 1.6 Jade Visions . Composer: Mercer / Kosma / Prevert Shortly after, their collaboration began. 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 . 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. Yes, the Evans dynamic provided him with a perfect setting. 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. He remembered that Scotty was dressed up for the Newport appearance. 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. Its the top of the sheet, instead of the coarseness of the winter blanket. 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. 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. It was there his career exploded. 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. It was then he fell in love with the tenor saxophone. But LaFaro makes the music pulsehe provides its heartbeat and flow. A master of the upright bass, he recorded with Bill Evans and Ornette Coleman before he died in a car crash at age 25. I was 19 and working. 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. A driver was killed when a car crashed into a home in the Hancock Park . MTV, EMA and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. 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DSD 128 fs (2) DSD 64 fs (2) . He was with Buddy Morrows band (1955-56), toured with Chet Baker (1956-57) and worked during the next few years with Ira Sullivan, Barney Kessel, Cal Tjader and Benny Goodman among others. 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. On date night, people would end up at The Smith. By. Bassist Scott LaFaro would die in a car accident just ten days after this album's recording, at the age of 25. Born in Irvington, New Jersey, the son of a big band musician, Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 - July 6, 1961) was five when his family moved to Geneva, New York. Scotty had the concept for a trio to be conversational instead of the classic structure, instead of bass and drummer just keeping time. Helene makes no secret of LaFaros exacting standards and competitive personality, and she quotes many who testify to the same. Brother man, I can all but hear Ornette saying, we are going to blow some minds tomorrow.. Scottys death was hard on my Mom. Killed in a car accident aged just 25, Scott LaFaro was widely regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the 20th Century. Click to reveal Nearly six decades later, Helene LaFaro-Fernandez continues to keep her older brothers flame alive. 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. 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.. 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. 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. Orrin Keepnews told Helene that when the trio recorded its second session,Explorations,on February 2, 1961, Scott was being very explicit about his problem; he was very reluctant to go back on the road unless it was for a lot more money. Everything. What kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music? Everyone would say Dont go to the creek! but we did anyway, and would come home with red shoes. Composer: Porter: Labels. While driving home late one nighthis car went off the road and struck a tree. One may even ask the question whether it is possible to love jazz and not love Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby, and I dont think youre being a curmudgeon if you stamp a foot and issue an emphatic No, by Jove!. 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. Styles. comments . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNqSL3xGW70, The Evans Trios appearance at the Village Vanguard opposite Lambert, Hendricks & Ross in June 1961 culminated with the legendary recordings made on the last day of the two-week engagement, Sunday, June 25. Scott LaFaro. See all our current specials here. A Dead Musician Directory Celebrity Page. Composer: Hawes Everyone heard him. 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. Search Music. 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. Smith Opera House is owned and operated by the Smith Center for the Arts, a private not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. He says they formed an immediate friendship, and that musically, Id never felt such an instant connection. LaFaro started his professional career playing a German-made Mittenwald double bass but it was stolen in the Spring of 1958. Our Dad was from here. As was, really, LaFaro. LaFaro-Fernandez: On Sundays our family would go to church, then go to the movies in the afternoon. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he was an influential jazz bassist best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. Evans also went on hiatus after LaFaro's death for a period of several months. Performers: Stan Getz, ts; Steve Kuhn, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Roy Haynes d. Newport, 2 July 1961. . Each year during the first week of April, The Smith hosts the Scott LaFaro Day Celebration concert that features a contemporary bass player. That huge sound and strength of attack is finger-sprung alone. Gleason commented, It is, however, as a vehicle for bassist Scott LaFaro that the LP really impresses. Later in the year, he toured and recorded with the Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet. 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. He emphasized high notes, could play with great speed and his interplay with Bill Evans in their trio was mutually stimulating and influential. Sign in to continue reading, Sixty years after the bass greats untimely death, a look at his musical legacy beyond the Bill Evans Trio. 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.. 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. 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. He became a professional musician in New York City during the Roaring 20s. we do worse! 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. Though hed previously appeared onGolden Trombonewith Buddy Morrow,The Arrival of Victor Feldmanwas essentially the first LP that showcased his singular gifts. 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? Nov 13, 2008 #2 Mark Carlsen Oct 4, 2004 Kuhn remembers hearing that it was a St. Christopher medal that LaFaro always wore that helped to identify his badly burned body. Evans and Dolphy dont feature on a couple tunes, while LaFaro is the constant. Thats his brand of intimacy: the sensation of the stolen moment. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. Village Vanguard, 25 June 1961. Sometimes its defined by contrasting stylistic paths that amalgamate into a career, as with Miles Davis. The music of Jazz Abstractions proceeds as a series of shadings, which tend to be called variants on the finished LP. 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? We spoke with LaFaro-Fernandez by phone to give us a glimpse on her brothers formative years in Geneva. Composer: Gillespie Joining Palombi on this date are Don Friedman and Eliot Zigmund. 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. Performers: Bill Evans, p; Scott LaFaro, b; Paul Motian, d. 7 May 1960. Bassist Dave Green joins Alyn Shipton to pick the highlights of these, and to trace the other significant records in LaFaro's brief but brilliant career. 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 Engagement opposite Thelonious Monk at the Smith hosts the Scott LaFaro, b ; Paul Motian, d. Village,... Kind of influence did your father have on your brothers music home one... Vanguard, 25 June 1961 regarded as the most technically gifted bassist of the moment... Killed when a car crashed into a home in the Spring of.... Gifted bassist of the coarseness of the sheet, instead of the 20th Century and get exclusive access to,. Memories for Scotty are Don Friedman and Eliot Zigmund fired LaRoca and hired Roy Haynes, but Kenton n't. 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