Date |
Place |
Event |
1936 (aet. 0) |
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| Fri 03 Apr | Newark, NJ | Born at Columbus Hospital and named Rocco Scott
LaFaro, after his parents, Rocco Joseph LaFaro (father) and Helen Scott, (mother). The
LaFaro family lived in Irvington NJ, near Newark. The patronymic, LaFaro, appears on
public legal documents, but in private papers, it is Lofaro, the original spelling. (The
Italian 'lo faro' translates to English as 'light house' or 'beacon' -- thus
the sub-title of Scott LaFaro web page, 'Beacon for Jazz Bassists'.) The senior
LaFaro, born in 1905, was the son of immigrants from Calabria, Italy. (Letter, 16 August
1996, from Helene LaFaro-Fernandez, Scott's oldest sister.) |
1937 (aet. 1) |
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1938 (aet. 2) |
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1939 (aet. 3) |
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1940 (aet. 4) |
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1941 (aet. 5) |
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1942 (aet. 6) |
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Circa 1942-1943 |
Geneva, NY | The LaFaro family moved to Geneva, NY (Martin Williams,
"Introducing Scott LaFaro," Jazz Magazine #3 (April 1960) p. 16).
Actually the LaFaro family returned to Geneva, NY, their hometown prior to living in New
Jersey. The senior LaFaro, who had played violin since age 3, after having completed the
eighth grade, studied music at the Ithaca (NY) Conservatory of Music (circa 1919),
with a teacher who had taught master violinist Fritz Kreisler. The attraction of the 'Roaring Twenties'
drew Joseph LaFaro to New York City and its 'Society Music'. He performed with some of the big bands of that era: the Dorsey
brothers, Smith Ballew, Paul Whiteman, Bea Lillie. While
on tour with one
of these bands in Geneva, NY, Joseph LaFaro met Helen Scott, who later
became his wife after the couple eloped and moved to New York. The entry of the United States into World War II diminished
opportunities for employment as a 'society' violinist, and the LaFaro family returned to Geneva. (Letter, 26 June 1996, from Helene
LaFaro-Fernandez.)
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Thu 30 Jul |
Monrovia, CA |
James 'Jimmy' Blanton (b. 5 Oct
18), Ellington's bassist, died, aet. 23. Blanton was born in Chattanooga,
TN, into a musical family. His mother, a pianist with her own group,
had her son take violin lessons as a child. At Tennessee State College he
switched to the double bass violin and began working in local bands. After
having worked summers on the riverboats plying the Mississippi River, he
decided to leave college and move to St. Louis, MO, where he played
regularly at the Coronado Hotel. This is where Duke Ellington heard his
future bassist. Blanton joined the Duke Ellington band in 1939 and
soon after tenor saxophone Ben Webster joined the band. Thus, the great
Ellington-Webster-Blanton 'golden age' where JB was featured as a soloist
both in front of the band and in duets with Ellington. While on the road in
California with Ellington, Blanton became ill. In late 1941, he entered Los
Angeles Hospital, was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and in early 1942 was
moved to the Duarte Sanitarium, Monrovia, CA, where he spent his last days.
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1943 (aet. 7) |
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1944 (aet. 8) |
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1945 (aet. 9) |
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Ca. 1943-1944 |
Geneva, NY |
Rocco Joseph LaFaro, Scott
LaFaro's father, employed as Orchestra
Leader at Belhurst Castle, a supper
club located on Seneca Lake south of Geneva. The LaFaro family resided at 29 Elmwood Place, Geneva, NY, off High
Street near St. Stephen's Church (Geneva City Directory, various
editions, Geneva, NY: Humphrey Press, n.d.). Below is a photo of 29 Elmwood
Place.
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| 12 May | Geneva, NY | S cott's sister, Linda LaFaro, born. |
1946 (aet. 10) |
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|
April 22 |
Geneva, NY |
"Keith Calkins, Sue Bartlett, Donald Grower, Scott
LaFaro, Ruth Bonesteel and Marie Fleming were among the cast members of [the Geneva]
High Street [Elementary] School production of Hansel and Gretel." ("50
Years Ago (1946)" Finger Lakes Times, Geneva, NY, Monday, April 22, 1996)
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1947 (aet. 11) |
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|
Date? |
Geneva, NY |
T he younger LaFaro began piano lessons with (Mrs.) Anna M.
Sampson, 64 Lyceum St. in Geneva, about a quarter mile from the LaFaro home. LaFaro also
spent his summer days at nearby Brook Street Playground. Although the senior LaFaro
practiced every day, he never pushed his son into music. (Conversation, July 1996, with
Helene LaFaro-Fernandez; conversation, August 1997, with (Mrs.) Gail Brown-Kirk, daughter
of Godfrey Brown, and friend of Scott and fellow music student who played bass violin in
the high school band.). Below is a photo of the Sampson home, 64 Lyceum
Street.
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1948 (aet. 12) |
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Geneva, NY |
Began clarinet lessons. |
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1949 (aet. 13) |
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|
Geneva, NY |
Played with the Geneva High School (GHS) band
while in the Eighth Grade. |
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