Wallace Wesley LaViolette (4 Jan 1894 Saint James, Minnesota - 29 Jul 1978 Escondido, California) was an American musician who composed, conducted, lectured, and wrote about music.
As an educator, he mentored Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, John Graas, George Perle, Florence Price,[1] Bob Carter,[2] Bob Florence and Robert Erickson and writer William Irwin Thompson.
[3] In 1930 he received the David Bispham Medal Award for his opera Falstaff[4] (or possibly Shylock.
[5][3][6]) In the 1950s LaViolette was the teacher for many writers and players associated with the West Coast jazz scene.
LaViolette supported their work, calling them "America's musical contribution to tomorrow ...