Scott LaFaro

Scott LaFaro
LaFaro in 1958
LaFaro in 1958
Background information
Birth nameRocco Scott LaFaro
Born(1936-04-03)April 3, 1936
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 6, 1961(1961-07-06) (aged 25)
Seneca, New York, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDouble bass
Years active1955–1961
Labels
Formerly ofThe Bill Evans Trio
Websitewww.scottlafaro.com

Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 – July 6, 1961)[1] was an American jazz double bassist known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio. LaFaro broke new ground on the instrument, developing a countermelodic style of accompaniment rather than playing traditional walking basslines, as well as virtuosity that was practically unmatched by any of his contemporaries. Despite his short career and death at the age of 25, he remains one of the most influential jazz bassists, and was ranked number 16 on Bass Player magazine's top 100 bass players of all time.[2]

The syllable "Far" in the bassist's last name is correctly pronounced like the word "fair," not, as is commonly done, like the word "far."[3]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 250. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time - BassPlayer.com". March 27, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  3. ^ You can hear the correct pronunciation in this interview with Evans at 0:04, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIzbINNrqcQ, Accessed 27 June 2024.