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Title: Hot, early Tal Farlow. Retro-cool, burning stuff
Review: I'm a jazz guitarist and collector of jazz albums. I think this is a very unique and special album. I confess, being a guitarist, Tal Farlow was the draw, and Tal does not disappoint (nor do Charles Mingus or Red Norvo). The musicianship here is pretty mind-boggling. Red Norvo had a penchant for FAST tempos, and many of these tracks absolutely burn. The arrangements all have a distinct, cool-swinging, 1950's vibe that I really enjoy. Retro-cool, baby. For listeners interested in jazz guitar, Tal Farlow was one of the most technically astounding guitarists that jazz has ever seen, and these sides clearly illuminate and underscore that fact. As such, I recommend this to jazz guitar enthusiasts. The only complaint is the audio quality, which, to my ears, seems fairly flat and poor, even by early '50's standards. Real jazz aficionados understand that you have to roll with poor audio quality when you're digging for pearls.
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