Post by razzgospel on Sept 12, 2015 21:07:09 GMT -5
A lonnnng time ago when I first started playing guitar, Tal Farlow was my hero. Never mind that I couldn't read music, had no knowledge of chords, and had a guitar that would have functioned better as a cheese slicer. I wrote a post on the topic on Facebook:
I bought my first cheap guitar when I was sixteen. It was a Stella, and only looked good by Starlight. It was almost unplayable. By the time I was nineteen, I bought a Fender, which at the time was new company. One of my favorite songs was Little Girl Blue by Tal Farlow, who was one of my early heroes. I barely knew how to play guitar, and had no music training, but I sat by the hour trying to work.out Tal's arrangement. I had no idea what any of the chords were, or how to form them, but I could hear this recording in my head, as plainly as if I was listening to on the record player. I ended up with a fairly passable version of the song, using endless chords I made up to recreate the chords in my head.
That was many years ago, and I could no way reproduce that song, but the process of working out chords in my head onto the guitar has served me well. I still play chords that I have no idea what they are. I just know they sound right. When it comes to playing music, I am all ears.
Yesterday, I got a two CD set of the recordings of Tal's I had, back in 1955, and Little Girl Blue is on there. What a joy to hear it again.
I just bought a two CD set of Tal Farlow's recordings from the mid-fifties, when I first started listening to him, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Disc one has two complete albums (both of which I have on lPs) originally released in 1954 and 1955. Disc two is the surprise treat. It starts out with 4 more tracks of Farlow in a trio format, and then has 7 great tracks with a full combo, including Bob Enevolden on valve trombone, Bill Perkins, tenor sax, Bob Gordon, baritone sax, Monte Budwig, bass, Larance Marable, drums. Most of these names are unfamiliar to me other than Enevoldsen, but the arrangements are tight, and much in feel like the Gerry Mulligan quartet. It's a surprise to hear Tal's guitar balanced equally in strength on prominence with the horns.The title of the 2 disc CD is Tal Farlow Guitar Genius and it's on Giant Steps Recordings.
It's been forever since I've posted on here, and I've forgotten how to add a music attachment, or I'd add a track from youtube.
I bought my first cheap guitar when I was sixteen. It was a Stella, and only looked good by Starlight. It was almost unplayable. By the time I was nineteen, I bought a Fender, which at the time was new company. One of my favorite songs was Little Girl Blue by Tal Farlow, who was one of my early heroes. I barely knew how to play guitar, and had no music training, but I sat by the hour trying to work.out Tal's arrangement. I had no idea what any of the chords were, or how to form them, but I could hear this recording in my head, as plainly as if I was listening to on the record player. I ended up with a fairly passable version of the song, using endless chords I made up to recreate the chords in my head.
That was many years ago, and I could no way reproduce that song, but the process of working out chords in my head onto the guitar has served me well. I still play chords that I have no idea what they are. I just know they sound right. When it comes to playing music, I am all ears.
Yesterday, I got a two CD set of the recordings of Tal's I had, back in 1955, and Little Girl Blue is on there. What a joy to hear it again.
I just bought a two CD set of Tal Farlow's recordings from the mid-fifties, when I first started listening to him, and I HIGHLY recommend it. Disc one has two complete albums (both of which I have on lPs) originally released in 1954 and 1955. Disc two is the surprise treat. It starts out with 4 more tracks of Farlow in a trio format, and then has 7 great tracks with a full combo, including Bob Enevolden on valve trombone, Bill Perkins, tenor sax, Bob Gordon, baritone sax, Monte Budwig, bass, Larance Marable, drums. Most of these names are unfamiliar to me other than Enevoldsen, but the arrangements are tight, and much in feel like the Gerry Mulligan quartet. It's a surprise to hear Tal's guitar balanced equally in strength on prominence with the horns.The title of the 2 disc CD is Tal Farlow Guitar Genius and it's on Giant Steps Recordings.
It's been forever since I've posted on here, and I've forgotten how to add a music attachment, or I'd add a track from youtube.
