Tal Farlow was a gifted jazz guitarist. Talmage Holt farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 7, 1921. Farlow is almost as well-known for his inability to play the guitar as for his bebop-influenced work and occasional percussive finger tapping. Tal Farlow didn’t start playing the guitar until he turned 21, but he began to play professionally within one year. He was also in Marjorie Hyams band in 1948. Farlow was a member of the Red Norvo Trio, which originally included Charles Mingus. He became well-known in jazz. Farlow formed his own band in 1953 after six months playing with Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five. Farlow moved to the East Coast in late 1958 and became a sign painter. He only played locally. Farlow only recorded one album as a leader between 1960-1975. However, he was more visible during 1976-1984 when he recorded for Concord quite often before disappearing completely. The definitive documentary Talmage Farlow features the guitarist. You can hear him on Blue Note (1954), Verve (1969), Prestige (1969) and Concord. At 77 years old, he died from cancer on July 25, 1998. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
