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Double Bass Anyone read the latest "authorized" Ron Carter biography?

#41
Paul Warburton said:
If you can hear and feel the tonic in the chord, why do you have to keep playing it over and over again?

If this makes you curious.....read the book.
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This made me laugh Paul... well said.
You and Ed always talk about singing the melody and knowing the lyrics and I am in total agreement. If every body on the stand is doing like wise there is no need to keep hammering what should be obvious. Same with the time; 2 and 4 should be obvious and implied. There should be no need to bludgeon everybody
to death. (like in most pop music)

Mr. PC your point about our icons sometimes having feet of clay is interesting. I have played with well known artists who may not be boy scouts or the nicest people to be around. They still have the gifts that they have. I've also played with some very well known people who were wonderful human beings. I don't think we can categorize people based on the level of their talent.

That being said, it is undeniable that Scott Lafaro was a giant in the jazz world and changed the overall role of double bass in jazz. In my heart of hearts, I would like to think that he was a wonderful, giving, generous and thoughtful artist. However, I will take him for whoever he was, flaws and all and be thankful for his amazing musical contributions that have so enriched my life.

PS. I have some friends that have problems; could be drugs, anger, sex or alcohol. Although they are far from perfect, they still are my friends and they still have great value to me and others. Although I think that I want what is best for them, I do not try to change them against their will be overly judgemental or try to bend them to my will. I also have enough self-awareness to know that I am far from perfect, a work in progress who has not always been kind or unselfish. I look to work on my self first and foremost!

Peace:cool:

Trey :D
 
#42
BS and rumor mongering. (not you, Trey).

Scotty was everything a human could possibly want to be. I won't even deal with the BS in that other post. (not you, Trey).
Scotty was a true winner....top to bottom....inside and out.

Read the damn book.
 
#43
From this page:

http://www.geocities.com/chuck_ralston/09slfbib-bksL-R.htm

scroll down

Litweiler, John. Ornette Coleman: A Harmolodic Life. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. "First Da Capo Press edition 1994" An unabridged republication of the edition published in New York in 1992, by arrangement with William Morrow & Company.

pp. 96-97 "About LaFaro's personality, Ornette once said, 'He felt superior not only to Negroes but to whites as well," [footnote #29] while Haden remembers, 'I'd come home and Scotty would be on the bed, upset, saying, 'I'll never be good enough.' He was a perfectionist, though. I'd tell him how great he was, but he wouldn't be satisfied.' [footnote #30] These seemingly disparate attitudes about himself, far from being mutually exclusive, seem to be opposite sides of the same coin."
 
#45
Inflatable boxing gloves, anyone? :)

8513G_a.jpg
 
#46
MR PC said:
From this page:

http://www.geocities.com/chuck_ralston/09slfbib-bksL-R.htm

pp. 96-97 "About LaFaro's personality, Ornette once said, 'He felt superior not only to Negroes but to whites as well," [footnote #29] while Haden remembers, 'I'd come home and Scotty would be on the bed, upset, saying, 'I'll never be good enough.' He was a perfectionist, though. I'd tell him how great he was, but he wouldn't be satisfied.' [footnote #30] These seemingly disparate attitudes about himself, far from being mutually exclusive, seem to be opposite sides of the same coin."
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I guess I'll bite.

The only racial thing about that Ornette quote is the way Ornette says it.

And who cares that Haden came home and Scotty was down and Haden decided to make himself look like a nice guy and talk about it in some interview. Who hasn't had that kind of moment?

Was this the same author as the Ron Carter book?
 
#48
Menacewarf said:
I guess I'll bite.

The only racial thing about that Ornette quote is the way Ornette says it. That's always been my impression.

And who cares that Haden came home and Scotty was down and Haden decided to make himself look like a nice guy and talk about it in some interview. Who hasn't had that kind of moment? Yup again.

Was this the same author as the Ron Carter book? No
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As Paul said people need to read the book.

Then come back in here and edit the trash.
 
#50
I just completed a cover story for the November issue of Pass Player Magazine on Scott LaFaro and the new book and CD. I transcribed Scott's solo on "Green Dolphin Street" (in D!) from the new CD Pieces of Jade. I talked to several players who played with him (Steve Kuhn, Don Friedman), plus some of our bass heroes (Stanley Clarke, Eddie Gomez, Larry Grenadier, Steve Swallow, Chuck Israels), as well as author Helene LaFaro-Fernandez and record producer George Klabin. It was a fantastic project for me—I always feel honored when I write about a player like Scott.

I also transcribed Scott's walking line and solo on "No Greater Love" from The Arrival of Victor Feldman. His solo on that tune is especially amazing—much more beboppish and technically flashy than the later solos (which might be less technical and a little more musical). Bass Player is not going to use that solo, so if anyone would like a copy, PM me and I will send it to you.

Regarding Scott's personality, I would agree with Paul that you just have to check out the book. LaFaro kept a high standard for himself and for others. Even legends grow up and develop as real people, and Scott was no exception. Helene LaFaro-Fernandez offers a loving and accurate profile.

I also transcribed a lot of the Bill Evans interview quotes that are also included on the Pieces of Jade CD. Just to give you an example:

In a 1966 interview with George Klabin, Bill Evans says,
"It wasn’t one of those things like, “It’s 3 o’clock, and now I’m going to play for an hour.” He would just pick up [the bass] and get involved. And he would get involved with maybe one figure, one particular type of cross-fingering or cross-string fingering, or double-stop or quadruple-stop, or whatever, and he would just work it and work it and work it … and he would force himself farther into his intuitive insight into the hidden mechanics, the secret mechanics of stringed instruments. … It was not a studied approach, it was a total encompassing, enveloping approach where he seemed to master a whole area."

It is great to hear Bill on the CD talking about Scott. Bill has such a rhythmic way of speaking—fast, with accents, and certain phrases repeated over and over (work it and work it and work it).
 
#54
chop_1992 said:
Regarding Scott's personality, I would agree with Paul that you just have to check out the book. LaFaro kept a high standard for himself and for others. Even legends grow up and develop as real people, and Scott was no exception. Helene LaFaro-Fernandez offers a loving and accurate profile.
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Is this to say that Ornette's comments about Scott have no merit in the history of jazz?
 
#55
Funny, how a post can be changed. A post will come in with peculiarities, sounding a bit off-balanced, then certain parts will get edited/deleted to make it sound almost......well, sensible?
Then ya turn around and....voila! The whole damn post is gone.

Funny, how a person can save these posts by knowing how to use common Internet tools. :smug:
 
#57
My copy of the Carter book sits on the table, unfinished. On the other hand, my copy of "Jade Visions" arrived today. I've read the intro and the first two chapters. After some chores, I'll be back at it. It has the feel of a book I will finish tonight!

Thanks Paul and others for the recommendation.
 
#58
MR PC said:
Is this to say that Ornette's comments about Scott have no merit in the history of jazz?
Click to expand...

Of course Ornette's comments have historical merit. He played with LaFaro and noticed that LaFaro held all players (or did Ornette mean all people) to a very high standard—on an equal-opportunity basis. Haden further commented that LaFaro was sometimes deeply unsatisfied with his own playing. Then the author Litweiler draws the conclusion that "These seemingly disparate attitudes about himself, far from being mutually exclusive, seem to be opposite sides of the same coin."

For a musician who is extremely driven, I don't find that to be an unusual attitude.

I do not think it is "unflattering," as you mentioned earlier. It is just more information about the guy. Chuck Ralston does a great job on his website compiling different sources of information about LaFaro.

So—what I said in my previous post was that you should read Jade Visions if the life, personality and music of Scott LaFaro interests you. That does not dismiss the hundreds of quotes and citations from various other sources that are documented on Ralston's website.
 
#59
Treyzer said:
)Mr. PC your point about our icons sometimes having feet of clay is interesting. I have played with well known artists who may not be boy scouts or the nicest people to be around. They still have the gifts that they have. I've also played with some very well known people who were wonderful human beings. I don't think we can categorize people based on the level of their talent.

That being said, it is undeniable that Scott Lafaro was a giant in the jazz world and changed the overall role of double bass in jazz. In my heart of hearts, I would like to think that he was a wonderful, giving, generous and thoughtful artist. However, I will take him for whoever he was, flaws and all and be thankful for his amazing musical contributions that have so enriched my life.
Peace:cool:Trey :D
Click to expand...

Thanks, Trey. This pretty much mirrors my feelings on the subject too.:)

As uncomfortable and blunt as it is, the comment that Ornette Coleman made about LaFaro gave some clues into what may have driven him to express himself musically with our instrument, IMHO. It's part of his reach for innovation. I don't really see Ornette's comment as a negative connotation in terms of LaFaro's personal life.
 

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