LaFaro, Scott

LaFaro, Scott, noted jazz bassist; b. Newark, N.J., April 3, 1936; d. near Geneva, N.Y., July 6, 1961. LaFaro took up bass to play with a local R&B band in 1953. He traveled to L.A. with the Buddy Morrow Orch. in 1955 and remained there, working with various local jazz musicians. After only four years of playing, he began recording with Stan Getz. He first met pianist Bill Evans at an audition for Chet Baker in 1956 or 1957. In late 1958, LaFaro returned to N.Y. to accompany a singer; Bill Evans was working at a nearby club, Basin Street East, and for a few days LaFaro and Paul Motian accompanied him. They then worked as a trio when they were able, but they did not have much work together until late in 1959, when they played at the Sutherland Lounge in Chicago and an extended engagement in Greenwich Village. In late October 1959, they made their first recording together (along with Tony Scott) but it was not issued until 1986. Through recordings and club dates, the trio became much admired in the jazz world. LaFaro raised the bass to an equal voice in the group, playing countermelodies in free time, walking bass lines, and vamps, freeing it from its traditional role of providing a harmonic/rhythmic foundation. Many believe that the Evans’s trio set the standard for the modern piano three-member lineup. LaFaro’s light, dancing style and highly interactive manner of accompaniment—though he could lay down a solid walking line when called for—has influenced many acoustic players and, through Stanley Clarke and Jaco Pastorius, many electric bassists as well. LaFaro continued to work with Evans, while also recording with Booker Little and Ornette Coleman; at the Newport Jazz Festival in June 1961, he played as a member of Stan Getz’s group. On the night of July 5, 1961, LaFaro and a friend named Frank visited a woman friend in Warsaw, N.Y. In the early morning hours, Lafaro wanted to leave and return to his mother’s place in Geneva. Since they had been drinking, Gap Mangione, who was also there, discouraged the two from driving. LaFaro insisted, though, and he and his friend died when their car ran into a tree and caught fire.

Discography

ornette coleman:The Art of Improvisers (1959); Beauty Is a Rare Thing: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1961); Ornette! (1961); free Jazz (1999); Harlem’s Manhattan (1999). miles davis and stan getz:Tune Up (1953). bill evans/bill evans trio:Jazz Showcase (1956); Portrait in Jazz (1959); On Green Dolphin Street (1959); Sunday at the Village Vanguard (1961); Explorations (1961); Village Vanguard Sessions (1961); Waltz for Debby (1961); At the Village Vanguard (1961); Complete Fantasy Recordings (1973); Incontournables (2000). victor feldman:Arrival of Victor Feldman (1958); Latinsville (1959). stan getz/stan getz trio:Artistry of Stan Getz, Vol. 2 (1952); Stan Getz with Cal Tjader (1958). hampton hawes:For Real! (1958); Blues the Most (1998). booker little:Booker Little and Max Roach (1958); Booker Little (1960); Legendary Quartet Album (1977).

—Lewis Porter