Scott LaFaro bass. He played in groups at the College Spa and Joe's Restaurant on State Street in downtown Ithaca. Beginning in 1955, he was a member of the Buddy Morrow big band. He left that organization to work in Los Angeles. LaFaro spent most of his days practicing his instrument. He practiced with a clarinet book to improve his facility. Bassist Red Mitchell taught him how to pluck strings with both the index and middle fingers independently. For much of 1958 he was with Victor Feldman's band. In 1959, after working with Chet Baker, Stan Kenton, Cal Tjader, and Benny Goodman,
Benny Goodman railroad yards and factories that was populated by German, Irish, Italian, Polish, Scandinavian, and Jewish immigrants. Money was a constant problem. On Sundays, his father took the children to free band concerts in Douglas Park, which was the first time Goodman experienced live professional performances. To give his children some skills and an appreciation for music, his father enrolled ten-year-old Goodman and two of his brothers in music lessons at the Kehelah Jacob Synagogue. During the next year Goodman joined the boys club band at Hull House, where he received lessons from director James Sylvestert. By joining the band, he