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Scott LaFaro Discography: 1961


Table of Contents

 1961 01.31  Ornette!  Ornette Coleman LP
 1961 02.02  Explorations  Bill Evans
 1961 02.21  Stan the Man  Stan Getz [1984 LP & Cassette]
 1961 ??.??  Memories For Scotty  Don Friedman [1988 CD]
 1961 06.25  Sunday at the Village Vanguard  Bill Evans
 1961 06.25  Waltz for Debby  Bill Evans
 1961 07.02  Miles Davis / Stan Getz: Tune Up  Getz [1992 CD] alt title Rare Live

 


 

Ornette!  London: Atlantic, London Records, Ltd., 1961. SAH-K 6235 [New York: Atlantic, SD 1378]. 1 sound disc ; analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo ; 12 in. Recorded January 31, 1961 in New York, NY. Program notes, Gunther Schuller; recording engineer, Tom Dowd; supervision, Nesuhi Ertegun.

Performers:

Program:

Side 1

Side 2

Excerpt from the Gunther Schuller program notes on LaFaro:

“A final word about the late Scott LaFaro, who, had he lived, would certainly have become one of the great bass players (jazz and classical) of our century. The full range of his astounding abilities is exemplified in these four performances. While Scotty never quite found the unique three-way groove of providing the beat, harmonic foundation and melodic counterpoint to the 'horns possessed by his predecessor Charlie Haden, he did evolve a highly personal solution to the requirements of Ornette's music, still preserving its truly three-level counterpoint (horn, drums, bass). Within this concept, Scotty's role was slightly more independent of the 'horns,' less harmonically tied to them, and smoother in its continuity.”

“Towards these ends, his lively, springy beat and elastic technique were eminently suited; and good examples of these qualities abound on this record: the ostinato figure under Don Cherry's splintered lines at the beginning of W.R.U.; a little later his driving low-register bass line (shortly before Ornette's entrance); the twisting sitar-like glissandos and double stops of his own solo on W.R.U.; and his richly beautiful bowed tone on C.& D. The latter solo is of special interest, since it is the kind of playing which is still extremely rare in jazz, and because it displays the wide range of his imagination and technical skills, as well as his knowledge of the solo bass' role in contemporary non-jazz music. The C.& D. solo reflects, for example, Scotty's fascination with the bass part of Milhaud's rarely heard chamber orchestra work, 'L'homme et Son Desir'.”

Note: OCLC Record #20 192 320 BRL 19890817 (for a 1986 audio cassette recording -- Atlantic 90530-4)

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Explorations  The Bill Evans Trio. New York: Riverside Records and Bill Grauer Productions, Inc., 1961. Riverside RLP-351 [Factory label “Stereo RLP 9351” superimposed on album jacket]. 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo ; 12 in. Recorded February 2, 1961, New York NY. Program notes by Orrin Keepnews. Produced by Orrin Keepnews. Recording Engineer, Bill Stoddard. Mastered by Jack Matthews. Cover designed by Steve Schapiro.  Back liner photograph by Steve Schapiro.

Performers:

Program:

Side 1

Side 2

Note: OCLC Record #9 696 087 BTS 19830712

Others: #10 120920 WEL 19940522 (OJC-037)

#14 941 611 TMN 19861209 (1982 cassette)

#22 585 640 ORX 19901025 (1987 OJC 5037 cass)

#22 777 744 DMM 19901205 (1990 MHS 312707Y cass)

NOTE: My copy has the inscription, “Hope to see you in Geneva soon, Bill Evans”. This was signed after a recital at the Radio-Televise Française, Paris, February 28, 1965. Evans was accompanied by Chuck Israels, bass; Larry Bunker, drums.

Excerpts from program notes:

“And on the club-going level, the Evans trio heard on this album played highly crowd-pulling engagements from New York to San Francisco early in 1960, was sidelined later in the year by a siege of illness that took Bill off the scene for a few months, and then began [1961] with a successful tour of the Midwest.”

“Taking advantage of the closely-integrated support of his colleagues -- Paul Motian and the strikingly imaginative Scott LaFaro -- Bill indulges, in two instances, in one of his favorite challenges to himself: using tunes that have become almost hopelessly hackneyed through over-frequent playing (`How Deep Is The Ocean?'; `Sweet and Lovely') and extracting remarkable and unsuspected freshness from them.”

[On `Nardis'] “This last tune was written for Cannonball Adderley's first Riverside album [Portrait of Cannonball]. Bill played it then and has remained intrigued by it. As performed here, it also features an unusual LaFaro bass solo.”

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Stan the Man  Stan Getz. New York: Verve [and Polygram Records] 1984. Verve 815 239-1. 2 sound discs : analog, 33 and 1/3 rpm, stereo?. Also 1 magnetic tape "double play" cassette 815 239-4Jazz ensembles with Stan Getz, recorded between 1947 and 1961. All but four selections have been previously released.

DO NOT HAVE ACTUAL LP or Cassette (have a copy of latter))

Note: Contains one previously unreleased selection, `Airegin' (5:59) with the following performers:

recorded in New York, 21 February 1961.

Note: OCLC #11 461 471 SPP 19841206 (1984, 815 239-1 LP)

alt #11 406 409 OCP 19841120 (1984, 815 239-4 Cass)

Note: Cassette version includes the following information:

“Original sessions produced by Norman Granz. Produced for reissue by Jim Fishel. Executive Producer, Barry Feldman; Reissue Engineer, Steve Baldwin, Polygram Studios; Album Design and Art Direction, Tom Hughes, Hughes Group, New York; Cover Photo of Stan Getz by Chuck Stewart.”

“Selections previously released on Verve LPs 8128, 8133, 8188, 8200, 8225, 8248, 8251, 8321, 8460.

“[Four] selections previously unreleased”, one of which is 'Airegin' (Side B, number 7, 5:59) with Scott LaFaro, recorded February 21, 1961, in New York.

A Michel Ruppli discography reveals that the following tunes, excepting 'Airegin', with matrix numbers were also recorded that day, but never released:

Note: 'Evening in Paris' (previously unreleased), Side B, number 6, 9:00, recorded February 20, 1961, in Chicago -- with Getz, Victor Feldman, piano; Sam Jones, bass; and Louis Hayes, drums).

Thanks to Dewey Mace, librarian and musician, for providing me a copy of this recording.

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Memories For Scotty   Don Friedman with Scott LaFaro.  [Compact Disc]  Tokyo: Insights Records; Manufactured by Camerata Tokyo, Inc., 1988.  Insights 32CJ-3.  1 sound disc : analog (monophonic)-to-digital ; 4 and 3/4 in.  Total time, 65:36. Produced by Hiroshi Isaka.   Recorded in 1961 (tracks 1-10) and 1985 (track 11).  "Collaborator: Georg Klabin, NY.  Digital remastering engineer, Iwao Kojima.  Recording engineer (track 11), Iwao Kojima.  Cover photography, Hiroshi Isaka.  Cover design, Keijiro Kubota.  "This album is dedicated to Scott LaFaro."  Includes 8-pp. program booklet (in Japanese).

Performers

Program

This is a compilation of three separate recording sessions, the first two from 1961 with two different rhythm sections supporting Don Friedman. The third is a solo piano tribute to Scott LaFaro.

Specific recording dates have not been determined.  I have placed the 1961 date with LaFaro and La Roca following the Stan Getz Stan the Man recordings because of the fact that LaFaro and La Roca were together on that session as well.

Special thanks to Jonathan Kutler for making a copy of this CD for me.  Jonathan has compiled a marvelous Don Friedman discography.

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Sunday at the Village Vanguard  Bill Evans Trio. Featuring Scott LaFaro. New York: Riverside Records and Orpheum Productions, Inc., 1961. Riverside 376 [Factory label “stereo” superimposed on album jacket.] 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo ; 12 in. Recorded “live” at the Village Vanguard, New York City, June 25, 1961. Program notes by Ira Gitler. Photograph of LaFaro, Evans, Motian by Steve Schapiro. Side bar in memoriam by Orrin Keepnews.

Performers:

Program:

Side 1

Side 2

OCLC Record #8 725 977 TUL 19820827

alternate #9 269 708 IMD 19830302

others #8 725 977 TUL 19950309

#16 815 080 GAP 19950410 (1984 OJC-5140 cassette)

#14 512 703 CNO 19940419 (1985 VDJ-1519 Jap CD)

#14 349 887 OWR 19950415 (1986 VDJ-1519E Jap CD)

#16 696 276 ORX 19911122 (1986 VDJ-1519/1519E CD)

#25 728 682 DMM 19920428 (1990 MHS 512707T CD)

Excerpts from program notes:

“Gershwin is represented here by an unbelievably poignant version of 'My Man's Gone Now'. Evans has a caressing, exquisitely beautiful exposition, while LaFaro contributes brooding under linings and a thrilling solo.”

“While this album contains no Evans originals, there are instead two by LaFaro. 'Gloria's Step' has an arresting line and harmonic structure, with perfect creative balance among the three men. Evans' solo is a composition in itself, Motian swings dynamically with his brushes, and the composer's solo is truly brilliant. Scott's 'Jade Visions' is a piece of sensitive calligraphy with an Oriental cast. His tremendous overall contribution to this album makes his death all the more tragic. I am content that there exists for me, as a listener, these recorded results of a momentous 'Sunday at the Village Vanguard'.” (Gitler)

[Sidebar] “The six selections that make up this album were recorded on the afternoon and night of June 25, 1961 -- the final performances of a two-week stand at the Vanguard for the Bill Evans Trio. (Specifically, the version of Scott LaFaro's 'Jade Visions' that concludes the album was the last number they played that evening.) A it turned out, this was to be the last time together for these three musicians. For it was only ten days later that LaFaro was killed in a tragic highway accident. It was a shocking death -- as is all death, and sudden death in particular. To us so deeply involved in jazz, the loss of a young man in the very midst of the process of realizing what were generally recognized as really major potentials on his instrument, is all the more tragic. For Bill Evans and Paul Motian, who had worked so closely with Scott for most of the past two years, it was the double loss of both a friend and a vitally important fellow-musician.”

“I had asked Bill to write a few words about Scott and their association to be printed in this space. He tried, but not too surprisingly found that he simply could not. I cannot really substitute for Bill here, but having heard this trio countless times, and having supervised three sets of the recording sessions, I am very much aware of the strong, unusual and richly creative interrelation between Evans and LaFaro, and of the way in which they stimulated, challenged and assisted each other towards the development of an approach they considered far more rewarding than the conventional `lead voice plus two rhythm' of most piano-trio jazz.”

“I know that the Vanguard engagement as a whole was musically a highly satisfying one to the group and that they were all pleased with the overall results of the last day's recording. In our assembling of this album, Bill's preferences were influenced by a desire to emphasize Scott's contributions, but I don't think sentiment interfered with judgment there. The album does happen to be one that can stand as a fitting memorial to the abbreviated career of a talented bassist. Bill has said he'd like to think of it as `dedicated' to Scott by him. I'd prefer to put it that this LP can serve as a permanent reminder of not only how much, but also why, Scott LaFaro will be deeply missed by Bill Evans, and indeed by everyone who ever heard him play.” (Keepnews)

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Waltz For Debby  Bill Evans Trio. With Scott LaFaro [and] Paul Motian. New York: Riverside Records and Orpheum Productions, Inc., 1961. Riverside RLP 9399. 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo ; 12 in. Recorded “live” at the Village Vanguard, New York City, June 25, 1961. Program notes by Joe Goldberg.

Performers:

Program:

Side 1

Side 2

Note: OCLC Record #9 696 109 BTS 19830712; alternate #21 462 596 AZS 19900501 (1961 RS 9399)

other OCLC records:

# 3 114 317 UUW 19770714 (196? SMJ-6118)
#16 698 391 ORX 19870916 (1986 VDJ-1536 LP)
#16 896 453 GAP 19871026 (1985 OJC 5210 Cas)
#17 461 221 DLC 19920213 (1987 OJCCD-210-2 CD)
#17 413 955 OCJ 19880130 (1987 OJCCD 210-2 CD)
#22 777 653 DMM 19901205 (1990 MHS 312708 Cas)
#22 865 539 IJZ 19901217 (1985 OJC-210 LP)
#25 728 614 DMM 19920428 (1990 MHS 512708L CD)
#25 765 811 CUY 19920415 (1990 MHS 512708L CD)

Excerpts from program notes:

“This is the fourth album to be released by the Bill Evans Trio .... The unit was one of the most inventive and consistently satisfying of the last few years, and it is a great loss that with LaFaro's death (in the early summer of 1961) there can be no more from this specific group. But this is a peculiarly fitting set with which to conclude the series. It is the equal of any of their other albums, and has moments which are, I feel, superior to any of them. It is a performance before a live audience, which is a more accurate picture of any group's work than a studio recording. And, finally, it contains selections that Evans had played and recorded before LaFaro joined him, so that it can serve as the most accurate index of the bassist's great contribution to the trio.”

“This is a further collection of material recorded at the same in-person session that resulted in the trio's previously-issued LP, Sunday at the Village Vanguard. But it is in no sense a gathering of scraps from the cutting room floor. For the earlier compilation, assembled shortly after LaFaro's death, was not design as a selection of the day's `best' work, but instead tended -- through Evans' choice -- to feature LaFaro's solos and compositions. Nor does that mean that there is not some brilliant work by the bassist on the present record. All it means, if anything, is that this album is perhaps more representative of the overall repertoire of the group than was the preceding one, assembled with a special purpose in mind.” . . .

“A word about LaFaro: at his death, he was one of the supreme jazz bassists. Those very few men who have done anything to change the conception of the bass have seemed to consider it as some other instrument. The Blanton-Ellington duets (which are in some ways the spiritual progenitors of these recordings) achieved much of their effect through Blanton's bowed passages, which sounded like violin or cello work. The work of LaFaro (which at one time stemmed quite directly from Charles Mingus) often sounds as though he were playing a large guitar; one solo he has recorded is astonishingly like Django Reinhardt. Like Mingus, LaFaro's ideas could only be played by a virtuoso; also like Mingus, the virtuosity is never more than a tool to convey the idea. But they are exclusively virtuoso lines, requiring complete technical mastery to execute. Aside from the guitar conception, there is a much more basic advance which LaFaro (and other bassists such as Wilbur Ware and Charlie Haden) are helping to initiate: prior to them, most bassists were so steeped in their roles as timekeepers that, during their solos, they would simply continue to keep time, only with a more interesting choice of notes. LaFaro had completely freed himself from that constriction, and undoubtedly took a sensitive, unobtrusive drummer like Paul Motian to help him do it  . .”

TOC

Miles Davis / Stan Getz: Tune Up.  Featuring John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Scott LaFaro and special guest Lester Young. [Compact Disc]  Margaretville, NY: Natasha Imports, 1992.  NI-4008.  1 sound disc : analog to digital, stereo ; 4 and 3/4 in. Seven tracks, 48:50. Tracks 1- 4 recorded 12 November 1956 in West Germany; tracks 5 - 7 recorded Sunday 2 July 1961 at the Newport [Rhode Island] Jazz Festival.

Performers:

Tracks # 1 and 2:

  • Miles Davis, trumpet -- tracks #1-2
  • Lester Young, tenor saxophone
  • John Lewis, piano
  • Milt Jackson, vibraphone
  • Percy Heath. bass
  • Connie Kay, drums
  • Kurt Edelhagen Big Band (track #2)

Tracks # 3 and 4:

  • Miles Davis, trumpet
  • Rene Urtege [sic, in recté Utreger], piano
  • Pierre Michelot, bass
  • Christian Garros, drums

Tracks # 5 through 7:

  • Stan Getz, tenor saxophone
  • Steve Kuhn, piano
  • Scott LaFaro, bass
  • Roy Haynes, drums

Program:

  • [1] How High The Moon (Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis, 1940) 8:07
  • [2] Lester Leaps In  (L. Young, 1939)  9:10
  • [3] Tune Up  (M. Davis, n.d.)  2:50
  • [4] What's New  (Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke, 1939)  3:36
  • [5] Baubles, Bangles, and Beads (Robert Wright, George Forrest, 1953)   8:17
  • [6] Where Do You Go? (Alec Wilder, n.d.)   8:14
  • [7] Airegin (Stan Getz [?Sonny Rollins])  8:26

This recording (LaFaro's last) is identical (except for its title) to Rare Live [1994 CD].

May have been released by other labels: Unique Jazz UJ-14, Century CEJC 00108 and CECC 00108 [=CECC 00099].

In one case may have been released under the title The Stan Getz Quartet at Newport by Raretone (Italy) 5010-FC.  (Tom Lord, The Jazz Discography, vol. 7, p. G154, entry #G1253 (1993))

Program booklet (1 folded sheet, 4 pp.) contains names of tunes, their composers, and track times.  "Jenny Marco, type; Collin Kellogg, Design".  On the last page, are  images of two jazz club posters, one for the Village Gate at "Bleeker [sic, in recté, Bleecker] and Thompson", the other for Cafe au Go Go "152 Bleecker St. Greenwich Village" New York.

A Personal Observation:  This recording was made Monday 3 July 1961, eight days following the Sunday at the Village Vanguard recording of the Bill Evans Trio. Tuesday 4 July, Independence Day, LaFaro drove from Newport, RI to Geneva, NY, his home town, to visit with friends.  Wednesday 5 July, LaFaro spent the day swimming at the home of Frank Ottley, a close boyhood friend.

That evening Ottley and LaFaro stopped by Cozzie's, a popular bar in Geneva operated by the owner, Constantino Fospero, bon vivant and raconteur, who offered LaFaro and Ottley a taste of his home made wine.  From Cozzie's, between 7:30 and 8 P.M., Ottley telephoned a mutual friend in Warsaw, NY, some 90 miles from Geneva, with the invitation to join LaFaro and him in Geneva.  Unable to break away from a commitment, Ottley's friend suggested that both come to Warsaw instead.

LaFaro, driving his car, and Ottley, left Geneva between 8:00 and 8:30 P.M., arriving in Warsaw between 10:00 and 10:30 P.M.  While Ottley was engaged in serious conversation with his Warsaw friend, LaFaro listened to recorded music and engaged in conversation with fellow musician, pianist Gap Mangione, who earlier had come to Warsaw from New York, NY because of a break between musical jobs. They drank coffee and listened to a Chet Baker recording and also one by Bela Bartok, both at LaFaro's request.

Sometime after midnight (now 6 July 1961) LaFaro and Ottley decided to return to Geneva.  Their Warsaw host suggested that they stay overnight and rest before driving back. Ottley declined the offer, and LaFaro and he returned to Geneva.  Around 1:45 A.M., LaFaro, while driving, evidently fell asleep at the wheel, left the road, and hit a tree near Flint, NY, five miles west of Geneva. The car, a Chrysler,  caught fire, most likely due to a fuel system rupture (gas tank, fuel line, etc.). Both LaFaro and Ottley died at the scene of the accident.    

For a different account of the accident, see Conrad Silvert's liner notes to the Bill Evans Spring Leaves recording. And also to the Geneva Times newspaper account.

The point in belaboring this tragic event is to emphasize the Scott LaFaro had not been drinking, was not "blasted", nor did he drive his automobile "recklessly".   He was tired and most likely fell asleep at the wheel, went off the roadway, hit a tree, and along with his friend, Frank Ottley, died as a result.             

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 Bibliography -- Books A-F    Discography -- All    Acknowledgements
 Bibliography -- Books G-K  Chronology -- 1936-1949  Discography -- 1956--1957    Items Lacking
 Bibliography -- Books L-R  Chronology -- 1950-1955  Discography -- 1958  Memorial Award
 Bibliography -- Books S-Z  Chronology -- 1956-1957  Discography -- 1959  Musician Associates
 Bibliography -- Mags A-F  Chronology -- 1958  Discography -- 1960  Photography
 Bibliography -- Mags G-K  Chronology -- 1959  Discography -- 1961  Renderings
 Bibliography -- Mags L-R  Chronology -- 1960  Discography -- 1961--1979  
 Bibliography -- Mags S-Z  Chronology -- 1961  Discography -- 1980--1989  Sunday Vanguard Matrix
 Bibliography -- Miscellany  Discography -- 1990--1999
 Bibliography -- Web Sources    Discography -- 2000--  2001 ISB LaFaro Tribute
 

Copyright 1998-2003, Charles A. Ralston. All rights reserved.
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Last revised:  2005-09-30
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