Biography of Tal Farlow

A leading early bop guitarist, Tal Farlow helped define the modern jazz guitar with his great speed, technique, and flow of ideas. A self-taught, non-reading musician, he took up the instrument at a fairly late age and learned Charlie Christian solos by heart from records. Early performances with Red Norvo and Artie Shaw earned him acclaim as an inventive player; he won the DOWN BEAT critics "New Star Award" in 1954. Tal uses a special shorter fingerboard for looser tuning and softer sound. He was also an early explorer of artificial harmonics. In what may well be a positive testimony on his character, he never much liked the business side of the music world and the life on the road. Returning to his native North Carolina and working as a sign painter, he has been rather reclusive for many years, emerging only occasionally for recording and performances. ~ David Nelson McCarthy