Anyone interested in a Tal Farlow Mosaic box set?

[mikelz777]

**********SOLD**********

I have a brand new, mint, still sealed Tal Farlow Universal Mosaic box set (7 CDs) that needs a new home. I already have the set and love it, but I don't need a second copy. I was thinking of selling it on Ebay or on Amazon, but I'd really rather sell it to an appreciative jazz fan here. PM me if interested and make an offer. For certain I'd be expecting less than the total of $129.00 it would cost to get this at the Mosaic site but would still like to get a fair/decent price. Make an offer, I'm sure we could probably work something out.

If I'm able to come to agreement with a buyer, the box set would be shipped securely in a box with bubble-wrap protection. I would include insurance and tracking/proof of delivery. Paypal only please. Item will be shipped within 24 hours after receiving payment. Item ships from Minnesota. I'll communicate with you and keep you posted each step of the way, personal service you'll get nowhere else.

“What Ever Happened to Tal Farlow?”

That question was asked often in the late 1950s, when this immensely talented and highly honored guitarist seemed to suddenly disappear. But there was no mystery over his whereabouts if you lived in Sea Bright, New Jersey, and needed a sign painted.

We expect musicians with extraordinary talent to pursue their musical dreams to the exclusion of sanity, family, personal health, and financial stability. But Tal Farlow, who The New York Times called “one of the most accomplished jazz guitarists playing today,” also loved painting signs. And when he decided the life of a musician didn’t suit his temperament, he left it largely behind.

From time to time, Farlow came out of seclusion to perform, right up to shortly before his death in 1998. But he nearly always returned to the spot he enjoyed on the New Jersey coast where he fished, watched the water, and gave guitar lessons. The calm and peace he experienced there was far from the frenzy he caused in the late 1940s and 1950s, when the sound of the man who is universally regarded as one of the greatest bop players ever ignited the ears of musicians and fans alike.

Classics Unearthed

Most of Farlow’s work as a leader was for Verve Records, and all of it is collected for the first time in Mosaic’s “The Complete Verve Tal Farlow Sessions,” covering his work for the label from 1954 to1959, when Farlow was at his peak. Much of it has been out of print for quite some time; very little of it has ever been available on CD in the U.S. (although much of it has been released on CD in Japan); and all of it is worth hearing again for the modernity of his approach, the musicality of his thought process, and the virtuosity of his technique.

Talmadge Farlow grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, a textile center. That industry employed his dad, who worried that his frail kid wouldn’t survive the dust and industrial chemicals. He got the boy an apprenticeship as a sign painter instead. Everyone around him was listening to hillbilly music on the radio, but Tal, painting at night, began pulling in distant radio stations. That’s how he discovered Charlie Christian.

Other Influences

He also came under the spell of Art Tatum’s layered chords and the simplicity of Lester Young, whose solos reminded him of what he had heard Christian doing (proof, in Farlow’s mind, that Christian bore a strong debt to the horn player’s work).

As a child, he played mandolin. Later , when he developed enormous hands and long fingers, he found he could play the two lower strings of the standard guitar with his thumb in ways most guitarists hadn’t explored.

In later years, Farlow also experimented with the basic design of the guitar itself. Gibson built for him a special instrument with a shortened neck that allowed his long fingers to stretch even further. High notes that frequently sound harsh and metallic were softer, mellower, even at the blistering speed with which Farlow could play.

New York Calls

At first the music was a hobby – Saturday night dance hall gigs – but eventually, music won out. The pianist Dardanelle brought him to New York in 1944, which meant exposure to the 52nd Street music scene that was blazing just then. Parker, Gillespie, Webster, Tatum, Powell, Roach. . . Farlow was mesmerized. He lived it. Devoured it. He even managed to master Parker’s solos on guitar. Not easy to do. Real fame came soon in the Red Norvo Trio with Charles Mingus.

When he began making his own recordings for the legendary perfectionist, Norman Granz, his personal style and technique were in full flower. These recordings for Verve are a clear example of why a wide variety of guitarists to this day cite Tal Farlow as a major influence. If it’s solos that interest you, his are disarmingly original and technically brilliant. If you are a fan of the harmonic possibilities of the instrument, Farlow explores it fully. If the sheer sound of the guitar is something you enjoy, Farlow makes his sing like no one else.

Farlow. Complete.

And if it’s just great music you’re looking for, you’ll find much to like. The seven CDs in this set include 99 tracks, many of them jazz classics and riffs on popular tunes. “Tenderly,” “Skylark,” “Cherokee,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Stompin’ At The Savoy,” “Jordu,” “Yardbird Suite,” and dozens more get the Tal Farlow treatment, with support from such “sidemen” as bassists Red Mitchell, Oscar Pettiford, Milt Hinton, and Ray Brown; pianists Gerald Wiggins, Claude Williamson, and Eddie Costa; and drummers Joe Morello, Chico Hamilton, and Stan Levey. Trio and quartet dates predominate, but there are quintets, sextets and septet dates as well.

We’ve even included one date from 1951 on Decca featuring the Red Norvo Trio of Norvo, Farlow and Red Mitchell.

The package includes three previously unissued alternate takes, as well as a number of interesting breakdowns and alternates on seven tunes. The lavish booklet contains a complete discography and liner notes by guitarist Howard Alden.

For his innovations, his taste, and his tireless jazz explorations, Tal Farlow will be remembered. Thanks to this Mosaic release, he will also be heard.

Edited December 22, 2006 by mikelz777

[Aggie87]

Just to clarify, this is the non-numbered Universal set, not the numbered Mosaic, right?

[Ron S]

Anyone check out the Amazon Marketplace prices on these lately? Sheesh! Not like the old days!

[ASNL77]

Amazon UK has been selling it for £29.97 (or $60) for at least four months now).

[mikelz777]

Just to clarify, this is the non-numbered Universal set, not the numbered Mosaic, right?

Correct, it is the Universal set.

[mikelz777]

One acceptable offer tendered. I'll let this go through Christmas since holiday viewership will be a bit slower and plan to ship on Tues. the 26th if a deal is struck.

[Aggie87]

One acceptable offer tendered. I'll let this go through Christmas since holiday viewership will be a bit slower and plan to ship on Tues. the 26th if a deal is struck.

If it's an acceptable offer, why not take it? Why try to get board members bidding against each other?

I don't really care for the thought of this turning into an auction site, amongst friends, though maybe I'm reading too much into this.

Edited December 22, 2006 by Aggie87

[mikelz777]

One acceptable offer tendered. I'll let this go through Christmas since holiday viewership will be a bit slower and plan to ship on Tues. the 26th if a deal is struck.

If it's an acceptable offer, why not take it? Why try to get board members bidding against each other?

I don't really care for the thought of this turning into an auction site, amongst friends, though maybe I'm reading too much into this.

You make an excellent point. Maybe I will.

[mikelz777]

One acceptable offer tendered. I'll let this go through Christmas since holiday viewership will be a bit slower and plan to ship on Tues. the 26th if a deal is struck.

If it's an acceptable offer, why not take it? Why try to get board members bidding against each other?

I don't really care for the thought of this turning into an auction site, amongst friends, though maybe I'm reading too much into this.

You make an excellent point. Maybe I will.

Advice taken. Sometimes I don't think very clearly. I blame the holidays!

[Morganized]

Just to clarify, this is the non-numbered Universal set, not the numbered Mosaic, right?

This is probably a stupid question but what is the difference? I am sure that there is one but since I have not been bitten by the Mosaic collector bug I am not aware of the distinction.

Are they both released by Mosiac?

Thanks in advance

[mikelz777]

Just to clarify, this is the non-numbered Universal set, not the numbered Mosaic, right?

This is probably a stupid question but what is the difference? I am sure that there is one but since I have not been bitten by the Mosaic collector bug I am not aware of the distinction.

Are they both released by Mosiac?

Thanks in advance

The only differences I'm aware of is that the booklets in the Universal Mosaics are not hand-numbered and the entire box is shrink-wrapped rather than just the individual CD cases. Otherwise, they're identical in content and appearance.

[sidewinder]

It's also the only set issued by Tal's underground 'Concert Band'