John LaPorta Biography

John LaPorta (13 April 1920 - 12 December 2004) was a Philadelphia-born jazz musician and clarinetist. LaPorta's sound was compared to Jimmy Giuffre's and was said to resemble that of Lester Young. He is considered one of the "Cool" school of jazz and his improvisations identify him as a well-schooled, thoughtful player.

LaPorta began studying clarinet at age nine and studied methods at the Mastbaum School in Philadelphia, where one of his classmates was Buddy DeFranco. He also studied classically with Joseph Gigliotti of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and, later, Leon Russianoff at the Manhattan School of Music.

LaPorta also developed his sense of jazz from such idols as Basie, Ellington, Lester Young and Herschel Evans. He picked up both alto and tenor sax. As a teenager he played with Philadelphia bands alongside such players as Charlie Ventura and Bill Harris.

In the early 1940s he joined the Bob Chester band, then later joined Woody Herman's First Herd (third alto).

Following this, LaPorta settled in New York and began to study with Lennie Tristano.

He taught at the Parkway Music School and later at public schools on Long Island, Manhattan School of Music, and, ultimately, at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Along with guitarist Jack Peterson, LaPorta helped fashion the Berklee curriculum. Specifically, the pair pioneered the use of Greek modes for teaching chord-scales, a technique which has become the standard for teaching music theory worldwide.

In the 1990s John and his wife, Virginia, retired in Sarasota, Florida, where he wrote his autobiography, "Playing It By Ear" (ISBN 1-881993-38-8). In retirement, LaPorta performed with the Sarasota Jazz Club, and as guest artist with the Fred Williams Trio.

LaPorta died from complications of a stroke on May 12, 2004, in Sarasota. He was 84 years old.