Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936, Newark, New Jersey - July 6, 1961, Flint, New York) was one of the most influential jazz bassists of the 20th century. Growing up in a musical family (his father played in many big bands), LaFaro started on piano as a small child, added clarinet at the age of 7, played various reed instruments in High School and only took up the double bass at the age of 16. At the age of 17, nursing a lip injury from basketball and dissatisfied with his saxophone playing, LaFaro decided to concentrate on bass. April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Newark (), nicknamed The Brick City, is the largest city in New Jersey and the county seat of urban Essex County. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bâ™­ soprano clarinet. ... Side and front views of a modern double bass with a French bow. ...

He entered college to study music but left after less than two years to try his luck in the Los Angeles music scene. There, he quickly found work and became known as one of the best of the young bassists. In 1959, after many gigs with such luminaries as Chet Baker, Percy Heath, Victor Feldman and Stan Kenton, LaFaro hooked up with Bill Evans, who had recently left the Miles Davis Sextet. It was with Evans and drummer Paul Motian that LaFaro developed and expanded the counter-melodic style that would come to characterize his playing. Ornette Coleman also used him around this time. This article is about the largest city in California. ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chesney Henry Chet Baker Jr. ... Percy Heath, (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005), was a jazz musician, most famous for his 40+ years as the double bass player for the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). ... Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 - August 25, 1979), was an American jazz pianist, and bandleader known for his innovations in jazz music. ... Portrait in Jazz Bill Evans (August 16, 1929–September 15, 1980) was one of the most famous jazz pianists of the 20th century, and the force behind the biggest shift in the jazz paradigm since Art Tatum. ... Miles Dewey Davis III (May 25, 1926 – September 28, 1991) one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the twentieth century, was an African-American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. ... Stephen Paul Motian, born in Providence, Rhode Island on 25 March 1931, is an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction. ... Ornette Coleman (born March 19, 1930) was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s, and one of the more notable figures in jazz history. ...

LaFaro died in an automobile accident in the summer of 1961 near Geneva, New York, his home town, two days after accompanying Stan Getz at the Newport Jazz Festival. Although he performed for only six years (1955-1961), his innovative approach to the bass redefined jazz playing, and inspired a generation of bassists who followed him. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki (R) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Stanley Getz, better known as Stan Getz (February 2, 1927 - June 6, 1991) was an American jazz musician. ... The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every August in Newport, Rhode Island. ...

External links

• Scott LaFaro: Beacon for Jazz Bassists
• A biography (at Jazz Improv magazine), with recommended recordings
• Scott LaFaro Discography