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Three huzzahs for Avid Records, who saw fit to release this absolute gem of a set of four of Tal Farlow's albums on a 2 CD set for the price of a single album. Avid has released similar packages for Jimmy Raney and Herb Ellis, too. Tal Farlow shares the crown for the most technically gifted as terms of speed and dexterity in the bebop/cool jazz era, with perhaps Johnny Smith being the other equal. It is easy after hearing him to see where the other later hard bop players like Pat Martino and Jimmy Bruno were most influenced, along with the chordal and octave majesty of Wes Montgomery. This four album set is the consummate masterpiece of the combination of speed, melody and very tasteful and advanced chord technique and voicing. Shred players can eat their hearts out because if there is one thing they lack, it's that all important element of swing and well defined melody. It's the difference between listening to somebody in the shred world who basically knows little else but high speed scales and solo theory, but can't play with taste or understatement if their lives depended on it. Farlow was a master guitarist, but also reached the general jazz audience as well because he understood the importance of a good song first, and the solo figures later. This package is indispensable for the great songs, including a section featuring Farlow covering Harold Arlen tunes, Arlen being the composer of tons of hit music in the 30's, 40's and 50's. Including one little ditty you might have heard of - "Over The Rainbow". Beautifully recorded, with great sound and the kind of cool only the jazz masters ever really understood - Tal Farlow is a legend and deserves your attention.

I had forgotten what an incredible guitarist Tal Farlow was. With his unique physical attributes (he had the longest/biggest fingers of any guitarist)I plus blinding speed place him in the same category as Johnny Smith, Barney Kessel and Howard Roberts. A truly magnificent player and definitely underrated.

I have been collecting The work of this BeBop giant for 45 years and have never even seen or heard of one of the four lp transfers in this set; so for me it was a truly an important reissue. I have to say I was worried it would be a off day for the guitar hero but nothing could be farther from the truth. He was very on that day and his band swings to high heaven. All the music on this is first rate!

Tal epitomizes Bebop in its heyday. Very complex stuff played with such speed and abandon-it easy to lose the casual listener. Tal played for players, not for the public. The musicianship is obviously first rate, but a listener has to work his way up to Tal. He was simply too far ahead of his time.

Wonderful group of albums of Tal's!!!

Okay, but not great.

back in the day, we had to drive a good half an hour to a record dealer's house to buy japanese import reissues of Tal's great verve stuff with inferior sound quality for $10 each… and that was in the '70s.Then I put ads in Goldmine seeking Tal records.They were that hard to find.To see a reissue package like this at a budget price is quite amazing. The last album, Plays the Music of Harold Arlen is dispensable. The other albums are great with the small group setting Tal liked the most.Swinging Guitar is "drummer less" and Tal often employed that setup. Autumn In New York, aka "Guitar Artistry" has Chico Hamilton on drums; it's impossible to tap your foot in time to Cherokee. The Tal Farlow Album has a rather well known version of Stella By Starlight, where Tal just pours out line after line, note after note with sparks flying at an incendiary tempo.So when you're enjoying this for $10-$20 bucks, think of how much effort it took guys like me to get this great guitar jazz!

A brilliant introduction to an artist new to me.

An excellent set of tal farlow albums in this very good series recommended

Die ganze Serie brilliert durch die simple Tatsache, daß man zu einem sehr kleinen Geld eine sehr große Menge an Wert bekommt - sogar inklusive der originalen Covers in einem ansprechenden Booklet. Dies allerdings mit dem systembedingten Nachteil, daß das ursprüngliche LP-Format viel größer war und man daher die Texte oft mit der Lupe lesen muss... der Musik tut das natürlich keinen Abbruch und Tal Farlow als Großmeister der Bebop-Gitarre sollte in keiner Sammlung fehlen, die sich ernsthaft mit Jazzgitarre beschäftigt...

ジャズギターを修行中のタルの信奉者としては、アルバムを全部揃えないと偉大な先達に対して申し訳ないと思っていましたが、これは有名な３枚のアルバム＋１枚これって超ラッキーアイテムです！

十分満足。

　三味線には｢太棹」っちゅうものがあるそうですが、Talこそぶっとい音色で弾きまくる大好きなギタリストであります。未だに真似が不可能です。本人が｢楽譜が読めネェ」といいますが、うちも読めない。感性一発で弾き切れる人が一番ロ会しやすいのは、ミオナ様わかるでっしょう？