One of the most open-ended Tal Farlow albums for Verve – and a wonderfully laidback set that lets him open up with that incredible tone, taking the electric guitar to a whole new place in jazz, and showing that the instrument has volumes to speak in both phrasing and tone! The group's a quartet – with Gerald Wiggins on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Chico Hamilton on drums – an interesting combo that swings with almost a bit more bite than you'd hear on some other Farlow albums, a sound that's every bit as striking as the album's unique cover image. Tal's sound is tremendous, and right out front in the mix – and titles include "And She Remembers Me", "Little Girl Blue", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "Tal's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early Blue Note album by guitarist Tal Farlow – pre-Verve material that's really wonderful, and which shows that Farlow was already one of the freshest jazz guitar talents of his generation! The record has a cool 2-guitar frontline, played by Farlow and the obscure Don Arnone – with a sound that's very different from Farlow's other work, decidedly more modernist and edgey – almost in the territory of some of the Gil Melle Blue Note recordings, filled with rich colors and tones. The only other instrumentation is bass from Clyde Lombardi and drums from Joe Morello – the latter of whom sounds great here in a pre-Brubeck appearance. Titles include "Tina", "All Through The Night", and "Splash" – and the cool original cover will make your eyes pop out with delight! LP, Vinyl record album

With Farlow on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, and Gary Mazzaroppi on bass – on titles that include "All Alone", "Nuages", "St Thomas", "Blue Art Too", and "One For My Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Great 70s trio work from the master of electric jazz guitar tone – working here with Ray Brown on bass and Hank Jones on piano – a cool drum-less group that really lets you get to hear Tal at work! LP, Vinyl record album

A second batch of tracks to be issued from a rare after-hours session that Farlow cut in 1956 with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass. Like the first volume, this one's got a wonderfully easy feel – and even though the material wasn't issued until the 70s, it's a key part of Farlow's 50s catalog, as it's got him soloing long and free, really working his magical tone into a frenzy! Tracks are all quite long, and titles include "All The Things You Are", "Let's Do It", and "Yesterdays". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous guitar work from the great Tal Farlow – easily one of our favorite jazz guitarists ever, and a player with a wonderful sense of tone and timing! This early album has Tal declaring himself loudly and firmly – using a style that's got some slightly raspy edges, and which is a nice change from some of the too-clean modes of other 50s guitarists. The album features a core original 10" album session with a group that includes Oscar Pettiford on bass, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Joe Morello on drums – plus 4 more tracks from a trio with Red Mitchell on bass and Claude Williamson on piano. Titles include "This Is Always", "Tea For Two", "Blues In The Closet", "Gibson Boy", "My Old Flame", "Is There Somebody Lovelier Than You", "Everything I've Got", "You And The Night and Music", "Love Nest", and "When The Wind And The Rain Are In Your Hair". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful early session on Charles Mingus' Debut Records label – one that features singer Ada Moore – a thin-voiced, yet soulful songstress with an edgey sort of tone! The album's got lots of nice rough edges that take it away from the cliched vocal album of the time – including searingly modern solos from LaPorta, slightly muted guitar work from Farlow, and an overall recording style that's very "roomy" – with almost a loft-like feel to the set. Titles include "Something To Live For", "Strange Fascination", "Devil Is A Woman", and "Lass From The Low Country". LP, Vinyl record album

Norvo may have cut some sleepy recordings in his day, but his early sides are usually all pretty great – especially this material, recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Night & Day", "Godchild", "September Song", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Swedish Pastry", "Time & Tide", "Little White Lies", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album

With Ed Paolantonio on piano, Lee Hudson on bass, Fred Lite on drums, and special guest Tal Farlow. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Ella Fitzgerald on vocal performances of "April In Paris", "Party Blues", and "Every Day I Have The Blues" – with Count Basie backing. Also features a jam session version of "Billie's Bounce" – with Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Tal Farlow, Zoot Sims, and others – and a solo piano take on "Lady Fair" by George Wallington. LP, Vinyl record album

Sal Salvador was one of the 50s more accomplished modernist talents on jazz guitar – and his work ranks up there with players like Tal Farlow, or Gil Melle's great bandmate Joe Cinderella. This is Salvador's rare first album for Blue Note – only issued in a 10" vinyl format! The record features quartet and quintet material, and includes tenorist Frank Sokolow, an icy-toned genius who's never gotten his just dues. Sokolow and Salvador sound great together, and create a haunting sound that's better than anything we've heard on other Salvador records from his later years. Titles include "My Old Flame", "Get Happy", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Gone With The Wind", and "After You've Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful album from Artie Shaw – one that takes his older groove and nicely strips it down for the 50s, and which features some especially great guitar work from Tal Farlow! Other players in the group include Hank Jones on piano, Joe Roland on vibes, Tommy Potter on bass, and Irv Kluger on drums – coming together in a loosely swinging mode that has lots of interplay on the longer-than-usual tracks on the set. Titles include the originals "When The Quail Come Back To Town", "Lugubrious", "The Grabtown Grapple", and "Lyric". LP, Vinyl record album

With Tal Farlow & Jim Raney on guitar, and Red Mitchell on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Although the name of George Wein is usually associated with some super un-hip trad jazz projects, this album's actually a pretty cool batch of grooves that matches Wein's older jazz tendencies with some newer styles of playing – and some good electric instrumentation on the best cuts. The album's got a super-nice version of "Sunny", plus "Blue Boy", "In A Little Spanish Town", "Topsy", and "Ja Da" – and believe it or not, Wein even plays some electric piano! Players include Red Norvo, Tal Farlow, Larry Ridley, and Barney Kessel. LP, Vinyl record album

With Tal Farlow on guitar, Derek Smith on piano, Ronnie Bedford on drums, and George Duvivier on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent Japanese LP that combines 2 of Gil Melle's rare 10" LPs for Blue Note: New Faces – New Sounds and The Gil Melle Quintet. The first LP features 2 different groups, and has Melle's haunting tenor playing amidst other bop-era modernists like Eddie Bert, Tal Farlow, George Wallington, and Max Roach. Tracks on this session include "The Gears", "October", "Cyclotron", and "Venus". The Quintet LP features Melle on tenor and baritone, playing with Tal Farlow and Urbie Green – and it includes the tracks "Timepiece", "Spellbound", and "Transition". Both sets are amazing, and the music is out-of-this world – with a sound that's unlike anything Blue Note ever did again, and which transcends any sort of traditional descriptions of jazz from the time. Very nice, and just about the only way you'll find this material on LP! LP, Vinyl record album

Great 50s material from Red Norvo – recorded with Tal Farlow on guitar and Charles Mingus on bass! The drum-less combination of vibes, guitar, and bass makes for an almost-exotic approach – one that rings out with some new moods and tones on tracks that are old standards – in a manner that really helps us understand why folks from the old days think Norvo's so great! Titles include "Godchild", "September Song", "Swedish Pastry", "I'll Remember April", "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", "Cheek To Cheek", "This Can't Be Love", "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "Move". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically beautiful album that strongly proves the old jazz adage "It's not the song, but the singer"! The "singer" in this case is alto player Sonny Criss – and the songs are a middle of the road batch of compositions, like "Sunny", "Willow Weep For Me", "Up Up & Away", and "Scrapple From the Apple". Forget the songs, in this case, because it's the "singer" who adds all the genius, as Criss' solos are fantastically warm, lyrical, and imaginative – far more so than you could imagine by just reading the titles on the album. We love all of the late 60s albums by Criss on Prestige, but this one's one of our favorites, and is a beautiful example of the late altoists sheer creative power in action. Other players include Cedar Walton, Tal Farlow, and Bob Cranshaw. LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the legendary Gil Melle – one of his early 10" sessions for Blue Note, prime 50s modern jazz from the original Melle cover right down to the music in the grooves! The session features 2 different groups, and has Melle's haunting tenor (not baritone) playing amidst other bop-era modernists like Eddie Bert, Tal Farlow, George Wallington, and Max Roach – coming together on tunes that are as magical as the titles might imply – "Mars", "Four Moons", "Sunset Concerto", "The Gears", "October", "Cyclotron", and "Venus". Monica Dell also sings some incredible wordless vocals on a few tunes! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the best album ever from this seminal British jazz rock combo – a record that really has the group stretching out in the expanded space of a concert setting! Colosseum were already one of the best groups to mix jazzy currents and heavy rock modes – but they really set a fire with this brilliant live album – which really gave the group plenty of room to show off their instrumental chops! Immediate Records star Chris Farlowe is on vocals – but the real charm of their sound comes from the tenor and soprano sax work of Dick Heckstall Smith, the Hammond and vibes of Dave Greenslade, and the heavy drums of Jon Hiseman – who really keeps things in the pockage, and provided more than a few funky passages on the album. Titles include "Lost Angeles", "Rope Ladder to The Moon", "Walking In The Park", and a version of Michael Gibbs' "Tanglewood 63". LP, Vinyl record album