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 and with power. 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 wildly popular and swinging Red Norvo Trio, with Norvo on vibes and Charles Mingus on bass. In June of '54, Norman Granz signed Farlow to Norgran and then Verve. Farlow recorded nine albums in all for the label, the last being in 1959. Then he halted his studio work for nine years. [Photo above of Tal Farlow]
During this period, Farlow retired with his wife to Sea Bright, N.J., and resumed his sign-painting business. Like many jazz musicians, the soft-spoken Farlow had developed a highly skilled craft with his hands and turned it into a business. His introspective side gig allowed him to tune out the world and provided enormous self-satisfaction when finished. Though he played locally and at the Newport Jazz Festival in the summers, Farlow didn't resume studio work until a Prestige date in 1969, aptly titled The Return of Tal Farlow. Assorted studio sessions followed, mostly for Concord. He died in 1998.
In 1981, director Lorenzo DeStefano released Talmage Farlow: a Film, which caught up with Farlow during his return to sign-painting and playing. Here's the film in its entirety. To buy,go here.
The video is indeed available below and at YouTube. You just need to click on "Watch on YouTube" in the embedded box below...
