Customer Reviews

Verve Jazz Masters 41

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4 star:		(1)
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I've listened to alot of Tal's recordings, and I consider this CD to an outstanding representation of his best work. If I had to own only one CD of his, this would be it. It has tunes from his earlier '50s recordings, such as "The Tal Farlow Album", when his blistering single note runs were at their crispest. "Cherokee" is as fast as you can possibly get on a guitar -- I calculated 22 notes per second bursts based on the tempo of more than 300 quarter notes per minute. Smoo...kin! It also contains some ballads to give the listener a chance to wipe the sweat off his brow. Don't miss out on this one!

What else can one say? This album is a great compilation of his early work. From the incredible chord melody of "Autumn in New York", to his interpretation of "Autumn Leaves", (Complete with his "A" string tuned down one octave).Everythings here. His blistering single note solos, single line harmonics, brilliant full rounded chords, and elusive harmonic sophistication. He even produces snare, brush, and bongo drum effects! Also looking for "Tal Farlow 78" album on disc. Also recommended is "This is Tal Farlow", and "The Swinging Guitar Of Tal Farlow"

His inventive brilliance lives on. Check it out.

This disc gives you 73 minutes of Farlow, with a variety of sidemen, taken from records released between 1954-'56. If you like jazz guitar, you can't go wrong buying this. Farlow began playing for pay during World War II, and really showed his greatness on vinyl during the years represented on this CD. I also highly recommend "The Swingin' Guitar of Tal Farlow"---one track of that album is on this CD, but all 63 minutes of that record are superb. I'm not a player, so I can't tell you how Farlow produced his beautiful sounds, but I know what I like musically, and this is definitely what I like. Some songs are fast, some are slow, but none are just mood music, easy listening, or background sound. His crisp plucking and strumming and fingering reflects what must have been a keen intelligence. As the liner notes say, Farlow was not particularly in love with the guitar itself, but with the music, and the guitar was simply the instrument he played the best. Give him a try, if you are not familiar with his work.

Recorded between 1954 and 1958, these tracks showcase this little-known electric guitarist. He was one of the first players to bring the electric guitar into the limelight as a stand-alone jazz instrument and all 16 of these tracks shine. In an era where the sax, trumpet and vibes dominated trios and larger groups, his unique voice was a unique alternative and a harbinger of the future of jazz.