The Smith to Present 6th Annual Scott LaFaro Day Celebration Concert featuring Christian McBride’s New Jawn!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Ananda Brutvan, 607-339-9277, abrutvan@thesmith.org
[The Smith to Present 6th Annual Scott LaFaro Day Celebration Concert featuring Christian McBride’s New Jawn!]
Photo Credit: Photo Provided
GENEVA, NY – The Smith Center for the Arts will present the 6th Annual Scott LaFaro Day Celebration Concert: Christian McBride’s New Jawn on Tuesday, March 28th at 7:30pm. This year’s celebration features Christian McBride on double bass. Tickets for the event can be found on the Smith’s website here.
Christian McBride is an eight-time GRAMMY™-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the Artistic Director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM.
McBride’s New Jawn includes Nicole Glover on Sax, Ely Perlman on Guitar, Mike King on Piano and Savannah Harris on Drums. Listen here.
McBride has played with musical luminaries too numerous to recount but a representative sampling is Jazz: Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and Pat Metheny R&B: Isaac Hayes, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Lalah Hathaway, and James Brown Pop/rock: Sting, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Don Henley, and Bruce Hornsby Hip-hop/neo-soul: The Roots, D’Angelo, and Queen Latifah and Classical: Kathleen Battle, Edgar Meyer, Shanghai Quartet, and Sonus Quartet.
Past jazz bassists who have played the Smith to commemorate LaFaro’s lasting impact on jazz include Marc Johnson and Dave Holland. Bassist Leland Sklar (who has played on 2000+ albums), on a July 2022 trip to Geneva to play bass in Lyle Lovett’s Big band, was thrilled to play in Scott LaFaro’s hometown.
A major influence on jazz, LaFaro was just five years old when he moved with his family to Geneva, where he spent his boyhood immersed in music. After dabbling in piano, saxophone, and clarinet, LaFaro found his home with the double bass at the age of 18 while attending nearby Ithaca College. LaFaro went on to play with the world renowned Bill Evans Trio, as well as other jazz legends such as Chet Baker and Benny Goodman. LaFaro’s tragic death at the age of 25 cut short the promising legacy of a young musical genius.
The Smith Center for the Arts, stewards of the historic Smith Opera House, provides diverse arts and educational enrichment opportunities year-round for Finger Lakes residents and visitors. To learn more about events offered by The Smith Center for the Arts visit thesmith.org, or visit or call our box office for phone and in-person sales, 10am-4pm, Tuesday-Friday. The Smith Opera House is at 82 Seneca St. in Geneva, NY. Please email boxoffice@thesmith.org or call (315) 781-5483.