Tal Farlow

Brief Biographical Details:

1929	Learns to play guitar.
1940	Greensboro NC: played in local army bands (inc. p-Jimmy Lyons).
1944	New York: Dardanelle Trio (vi-Dardanelle, g-Tal Farlow, b-Paul Edenfield).
1945	Philadelphia: Freddie Thompson Trio (p-Freddie Thompson, g-Tal Farlow, d-???).
1948	New York: Marjorie Hyams Trio (vi-Marjorie Hyams, g-Tal Farlow, b-???).
1948	Buddy DeFranco Quartet: (cl-Buddy DeFranco, vi-Milt Jackson, g-Tal Farlow, b-John Levy).
1949-53	Replaces Mundell Lowe in Red Norvo Trio (vi-Red Norvo, g-Tal Farlow, b-Red Kelly/Charles Mingus/Red Mitchell); [Tal is the "...guitarist ...[who]...never says anything" in Mingus's semi-fictional auto-biography "Beneath The Underdog" (Knopf, New York, 1971; Ch33, p323)].
1953-54	Red Norvo Quintet/Septet.
1954	DownBeat "New Star" award.
1954-58	Artie Shaw and His Gramercy Five, Anita O'Day, Howard McGhee + various other groups (incl. Clark Terry, Gil Melle, Henry Renaud) as leader/accompanist.
1956	DownBeat "Critics' Poll" award.
~1958	Married Tina, moved to Seabright NJ - gradual retirement from the big city scene, but continues to play low key gigs.
1962	Gibson Guitar Co. produces the "Tal Farlow Guitar."
1967-98	Sporadic recordings as a leader and accompanist; tours extensively in UK; occasional performances in USA.
1994	Tina Farlow dies.
1997	Tal marries Michele Hyk.
1998	Tal died on July 25, 1998 at 6.00am at the Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Centre in Manhattan, survived by wife Michele Hyk-Farlow.