Rocco Scott LaFaro (April 3, 1936 – July 6, 1961) 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.
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Scott LaFaro was only 25 when he tragically died in a car accident in 1961, but the body of work he left changed jazz bass playing for good. He influenced the majority of today’s best bassists. That includes Brian Bromberg, who has just released a trio album in his honor.
Few musicians can change the way others play their instrument, but Scott LaFaro was one of those special few. LaFaro’s free and floating style was more reminiscent of a saxophonist. His playing, especially with pianist Bill Evans, made people see the bass in a different light. Like too many of our favorite musicians, LaFaro’s life was cut short in 1961,...
Swiss company Schertler has introduced the LaFaro Deluxe, a 2-channel, 280-watt bi-amplified combo amp designed specifically with double bass in mind. The amp’s name and image are a tribute to jazz bass icon Scott LaFaro, who revolutionized jazz bass in his short career. It sports an 8? woofer designed specifically for the amp with a long linear extension for strong...
Bassist Phil Palombi has just released RE: Person I Knew, a tribute to bass legend Scott LaFaro who tragically died in a car crash in 1961. Palombi recruited former Bill Evans drummer Eliot Zigmund and pianist Don Friedman, who was LaFaro’s roommate, to fill out the trio. The ties don’t end there, as Palombi got the unique opportunity to use...
Recently, I had an experience that changed the way I think about instruments. Years ago, I used to get nervous sitting in on other people’s gigs for fear of not being able get “my sound” out of their bass. You know what I’m taking about, right? You grab someone else’s bass, play a few notes, then think “uh-oh, this action...
