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Tal Farlow

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music.

He listened to the radio and heard outside broadcasts of the big bands of the day, bands like Artie Shaw, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman. It was then that he first heard Charlie Christian playing and started to copy the solos. During the war, he was stationed in Greensboro. He worked there with a lot of musicians who had come from up north.

It was sometime after this, while Tal was working for the vibraphonist Dardanelle, that he worked the Copacabana Lounge in New York. While he was there he regularly visited 52nd Street to soak up the sounds of some more of his favourite musicians, namely Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and some of the other members of the bop era. When Jimmy (Lyons) returned, Tal and bassist Lennie de Franco (Buddy's brother) all set off to New York to get their local 802 union cards.

Shortly afterwards Tal worked with the Marjorie Hyams trio. Again it was with vibes. For a while they worked at the Three Deuces opposite Charlie Parker's group, which featured Miles Davis and Al Haig. Tal seemed to have an affinity with vibraphone players - he worked with Milt Jackson when he joined Buddy de Franco's group and then, at the end of 1949, he finally joined Red Norvo's trio when he took Mundell Lowe's place. While in New York, Tal lived in an apartment house on West 93rd Street. It seems to have acted like a honey-pot on the jazz musicians in town. Guitarists Jimmy Raney and Sal Salvador lived there and others like Johnny Smith and John Collins would call by to join the frequent jam sessions held there. Various other musicians lived there from time to time, including Phil Woods, Joe Morello and Chuck Andrews. Tal probably never envisaged the success he was about to have, when he joined Red Norvo's trio. At first Tal struggled to keep up with Norvo's very fast tempos but soon improved his technique so much that he became one of the fastest guitarists in the world at that time. Within a year they were recording and soon became one of the most popular groups of the fifties, and the ideas Tal used brought him to the forefront among jazz musicians. He won the Down Beat New Star Award in 1954 and the Critics Poll in 1956.

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365
Album Review

Tal Farlow: Tal Farlow Guitar Genius: The LA Sessions

Read "Tal Farlow Guitar Genius: The LA Sessions" reviewed by Nic Jones


The word “genius" is used far too much, but Guitar Genius is an apposite term for a performance by Tal Farlow, and its use is fully justified with regards to this two-disc set.

Farlow was apparently blessed with unusually large hands, which on a practical level enabled him literally to reach places that were beyond a lot of other guitarists. But this would have counted for nothing if he had not allied such an attribute with equally exceptional harmonic and ...

215
Album Review

Tal Farlow Trio: The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow

Read "The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow" reviewed by Mike Neely


The Swinging Guitar of Tal Farlow not only presents Farlow at his swinging best but also features the brilliant pianist Eddie Costa in one of his too few recordings. In many ways this is a duet recording with Farlow and Costa playing off of each other above a traditional bass accompaniment. In this case “play" is no casual adjective, the chemistry between Farlow and Costa is extraordinary with lively intertwining solos and double voicings demonstrating their intuitive rapport.

Bassist Vinnie ...

85
Album Review

Tal Farlow & Red Norvo: On Stage

Read "On Stage" reviewed by Jim Santella


This reunion between Tal Farlow and Red Norvo was recorded at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival and originally released in 1981. Now available on CD, the session marked their first time together in many years. Along with Charles Mingus, Farlow was a member of the Red Norvo Trio of 1949. Mingus stayed for only a brief time, but the guitarist stayed with him until 1953. Then the two went their separate ways; Farlow preferring to stay home and perform at ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music. He listened to the radio ...

1

TV / Film

Tal Farlow Doc and 10 Tracks

Tal Farlow Doc and 10 Tracks

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Tal Farlow is widely considered the father of the modern jazz guitar. His commanding attack and speed had much to do with the large size of his hands. As for his robust sense of swing and rich jazz-chord voicings, they were unbeatable. Born in 1921, Farlow was self-taught and deeply influenced by Benny Goodman's guitarist Charlie Christian. His first major recording session was as a member of the Red Norvo Trio in 1950, featuring Norvo on vibes and Charles Mingus ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music. He listened to the radio ...

1

TV / Film

Documentary: Tal Farlow

Documentary: Tal Farlow

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Self-taught, guitarist Tal Farlow was what's known as a big player. Influenced by Bud Powell, he could cover a great deal of ground on the neck of his electric guitar with his large hands. When he began recording as a leader in April 1954 for Blue Note, he had already been recording as a sideman for nine years. Two of those years were spent as a member of the Red Norvo Trio, with Norvo on vibes and Charles Mingus on ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music. He listened to the radio ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music. He listened to the radio ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music... Read more.

Place our Musician ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music... Read more.

Place our Musician ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music... Read more.

Place our Musician ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Jazz Musician of the Day: Tal Farlow

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Tal Farlow's birthday today!

Tal Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and was brought up in a musical atmosphere. His father played several musical instruments, including some of the fretted ones, while the piano in the house was played by his mother and his sister, who became a fine classical pianist. Tal trained as a signwriter and continued with this work throughout his life in parallel with his music... Read more.

Place our Musician ...

Ben Bishop
guitar, electric
Dom Minasi
guitar
Art Boffi
guitar

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Tal Farlow Album

Definitive Records
2013

buy

Tal Farlow Guitar...

Giant Step Records
2006

buy

The Fastest Guitar...

Definitive Records
2005

buy

Autumn Leaves

Definitive Records
2003

buy

On Stage

Concord Music Group
2000

buy

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