Iazzletter PO Box 240, Oiaica93024-0240
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Gene Lrc Ad Libitum e, Iazzletter PO Box 240, OiaiCA93024-0240 band. I'm the best bass player of any band I'm in'" One Bass Player to a Band Always a mentor to young bass players, Milt said: "I'd invite the new young bass players to come to my home' house. We'd make a big pot of An old high school friend told me, ayear or so ago, that I was Some of them stayed at our gig, I recommend them. I got Brian Torff always talking about one Ray Brown. I am astonished that at chili. If there was a job LaFaro was fantastic' When he was seventeen I had the brains to appreciate him. his first . Scott job with Stan Getz at Webster Recently I heard some 1920s dance-band recordings, killed, I finished a recording electronically enhanced. And the bass players were playing Hall for him. He was amazing!" 1970s, a remarkable advance in the uses of the not even roots and fifths but only roots. Thumpthump-thump- In the early prominence: the work of Scott LaFaro, thump, same note for a full bar at atime. instrument came into all-too-few recordings Jimmy Blanton, in his too-little-time with Duke Ellington espec ially his performances in his Drummer Jack DeJohnette told me he died when he was only twenty-four introduced a new *ith th" Bill Evans Trio. - (he played piano then), he -flexibility to bass lines, especially in pizzicato solos. Others that when he had a trio in Chicago wait for the new Riverside were contributing too, among them Walter Page and later, and the rest of the group would late into the night and Red Mitchell. Charles Mingus showed albums by the Evans group, then sit up Oscar Pettiford jazz what kind of facile rapidity could be achieved on the listening. He said, "Bill Evans changed not only the way LaFaro changed the nature of instrument. piano is played, he and Scott Milt Hinton told me, "Bass has made more progress than trios." on piano, so was any other instrument in the last fifty years The As widespread as Bill's influence was young bassist who came instrument hasn't changed bodily, but the balance of strings LaFaro's on probably every other the brilliant Brian Torff, who rose to has changed, the teaching has changed. up after him, including years with George Shearing in "The word bass means bottom. It means support' That's piominence during his three Thompson. Don, who also plays the prime requisite of a bass player, support. Architecturally, a duo as successor to Don the brass instruments, told me it has to be the lowest part of the building, and it has to be piano, drums, and almost all really got him to dig into the deeper strong, or the building will not stand . ' We are like Atlas, that it was LaFaro who standing in support." exploration of the bass. players have missed the message Oscar Peterson said to me once: "Bass players are very Don said, "A lot of bass guys hear the fact that he played protective of each other. I would find it almost unbelievable of Scott LaFaro. Too many He figured out the top end if yo, told me you'd ever heard a bass player say something real fast. Scotty had some chops. play fast arpeggios' Too many bass about another bass player that wasn't good. If you look at the of the bass. He could they don't hear the beauff of history of the instrumentin jazz, you can see why. The public players, I think, play fast but hear how supportive he was never used to notice bass players. They were always the guys his melodies. They also don't Evans. He played pretty busy who came into the group and were given one order,'Walk!' when he played behind Bill I don't think he ever seemed to get in the way Once in a while they'd be thrown a bone, like, 'Walk - one sometimes, but chorus solo.' Finally they managed to break away, because of or take the music awaY from Bill." the last thing players like Torff and LaFaro the proficient bass players who came along." And of course they play "It's like family," Milt said. "You might have nine or ten do is to play roots and fifths. Essentially front-line instrument, and I brothers and sisters, but your Mama is your Mama. We come counterpoint duets with the The best of them are fascinating' one to a customer in jazz. There's only one bass player in a enormously respect them. September 2008 I have just had the pleasure ofreading books about both men. The first of these,. Jade Vision's, named for one of Stephane Grappelli LaFaro's compositions, has been written by his sister, Helene LaFaro Fernandez. The other is In Love with Voices, a free- By Brian Torff ranging autobiography by Brian Torff. For the sake of fair 1975, disclosure, I must tell you that I have been involved in the When fortune smiles it spreads like the sun. In professional .Iade Visions book for some time. I functioned as an adviser during my second year of touring as a American on it and have done a certain amount of editing. Rather than musician, I was invited by Cleo Laine's one of the major New York publishers, the book is being promoter to attend the Carnegie Hall debut of the My published by the young North Texas University Press. It will renowned French iazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli. came from great be out this coming fall. date was an attractive woman-friend who in me As for Brian's book, he published it himself' There is no wealth, lived on Park Avenue, and had no interest one a little, but I stigma in this, as there was in past years of so-called vanity whatsoever. Normally this would bother publishing; Stephen Crane published The Red Badge of was too moved by the stunning display of this masterful anything Courage himself. But now the major publishing companies genius of jazz violin to care. I had never heard have followed the record industry into irresponsibility and like it, and little did I know that soon I would be connected dishonor. Indeed, some of them in New York will tell an to the Hot Club swing style for most of my career. the work of author in effect: "Publish it yourself. We'll see what the sales At that point I wasn't all that familiar with the are, and then maybe we'll consider taking it on." And new Stephane Grappelli or of his mythic associate, trut after the technology makes self-publishing easy to execute, and legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. elderly comparativeiy inexpensive. concert I was intrigued. Grappelli was an charm and grace. The value of any autobiography is in its portrayal of the gentleman in his late 60's with a limitless that recalled any events and individuals experienced by the author. A couple of He had a command of his instrument an effortiess sense decades ago, one commonly heard that jazz musicians were great concert violinist, combined with a way inarticulate. I never found them so, and both at Down Beat of swing. His singing violin soared and danced in his and later with my own publication, I have done all I could to few instrumentalists could, and in addition to could encourage them to write, among them the drummer Don imaginative and virtuoso improvisations, Grappelli the DeMicheal, who succeeded me as editor of Down Beat, wring the poetic essence out of a melody, not unlike or Bill Evans. His very bassist Gordon (Whitey) Mitchell, Red Mitchell's brother, interpretations of Frank Sinatra an emotional well that who became a prominent television writer and producer, and French style of playing came from need to another bassist, Bill Crow, who now has written several was infectious to any audience and transcended the books. Yet another whom I started writing was the late be hip. same composer and pianist Bobby Scott. In these and other cases I I could scarcely believe my luck when the in working found that not only could they get it down on paper, but they promoters asked me if I would be interested exttavaganza. had insights that only musicians could bring to bear. with Grappelli during his next American Saving on the extra airfare from Europe, Grappelli's picked up Brian Torff not only writes well, he has what it takes to quartet, (violin, two guitars, and bass) generally Once again, as I did become a writer, should he ever choose to do so. His writing local bass players wherever they went' and in this book reminds me somewhat of F. Scott Fitzgerald, in before my last two tours, I returned to the record store desperate style and otherwise, particularly in descriptions of his family bought every Grappelli disc i could find in a musical history and upbringing. He is writing about the middle west, the area attempt to learn every tune ever written in was a around Chicago where he was born, the son of a brilliant, before Meet the Beatles' Needless to say, this greal deal of prominent and liberal lawyer. daunting task. I have come to realize that a panic and One of the jewels of the book is Brian's portrait of my record collection was purchased in pre-tour This is Stephane Grappelli, who has remained a somewhat shadowy less out of leisure or recreational listening.