Tal Farlow - The Most Amazing Jazz Music Guitar Performer Ever! - Part 2
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by: davidwalker
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Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 Time: 1:27 PM
Whilst with Red Norvo's trio Tal Farlow developed various original rhythm techniques on the guitar, quite often confounding listeners into believing that a drummer had been added to the line-up! One such technique was to strum chords while simultaneously tapping out rhythms on the guitar pick guard and strings using his finger tips. In 1954 Farlow left Norvo's trio to play with Artie Shaw's Gramercy 5 in New York city.
In 1954 Tal Farlow won the Downbeat Magazine "New Star Award" and in 1956 their critics' poll as well. By this time Farlow was acknowledged throughout the world as among USA's leading jazz guitar artists. He was at this point in time signed up by Norman Granz for the Verve Record Company label. He recorded several stellar recordings for Verve as the leader of combos which presented various top jazz artists of the day including Ray Brown, Chico Hamilton, Eddie Costa, Vinnie Burke, and Stan Levey.
In 1958 Farlow married and that year additionally marked what was to be his last memorable public appearance for several years. It was held at the "Composer Club" in Manhattan, New York. He afterwards moved to his new house in Sea Bright, New Jersey on the Atlantic coastline and entered virtual semi-retirement for just about 20 years. He spent most of his time working at his old love of sign painting. Even so he didn't fully neglect his performing and from time to time many of the music industry's top guitar players got time off to visit him to play and talk about guitar! In 1968 Farlow made a brief comeback appearing to packed houses for 7 weeks with his own trio, at the "Frammis Club" on Manhattan's East Side. After this brief reappearance Farlow returned yet again to his residence in Sea Bright.
Pressure from jazz lovers all over the world together with his own desire to play jazz once again inspired Farlow in 1975 to start performing regularly. Since that time he produced a number of new albums and performed a lot at jazz clubs and festivals all over the world. His life as a jazz musician and sign painter was the topic of a 1982 tv documentary. Tal had very big hands and because of that had an incredible reach capability with his left hand. This enabled him to play chord voicings that had been impossible for other guitarists to reach so listeners would often hear chord harmonies that they had certainly not heard before which made hearing Tal Farlow play a very unique and enjoyable experience! Tal died in July of 1998 but luckily for aspiring guitarists left behind a number of instructional DVD disks and tab books that show his extraordinary jazz guitar solos and the very individualistic techniques that he used to play them.
About the Author
Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron helps guitar players become better guitarists. His company ChordMelody.com features an enormous selection of jazz guitar tablature sheet music
as well as instructional material by Tal Farlow himself. Find out more and claim Steven's popular free monthly guitar lesson e-course available at: =>
Tal Farlow guitar tabs
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