Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz gui… Read Full Bio ↴Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists.

Farlow was born in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1921, with his first introduction to a stringed instrument being the mandolin (tuned like a uke), as a young child. Nearly as famous for his reluctance to perform publicly as for his outstanding abilities, he did not take up the instrument until he was 21, but within a year was playing professionally and in 1948 was with Marjorie Hyams' band. While with the Red Norvo Trio from 1949–1953, Farlow became famous in the jazz world. His huge hands and ability to play rapid yet light lines, which earned him the nickname "Octopus", made him one of the top guitarists of the era. Where other similar players of his day combined rhythmic chords with linear melodies, Farlow preferred placing single notes together in clusters, varying between harmonically enriched tones based on a startling new technique.
After six months with Artie Shaw's Gramercy Five in 1953, Farlow put together his own group, which for a time included pianist Eddie Costa. In 1958, Farlow retired from full-time performing and settled in Sea Bright, New Jersey, returning to a career as a sign painter. He continued to play occasional dates in local clubs, however. In 1962 the Gibson Guitar Corporation, with Farlow's participation, produced the "Tal Farlow" model in their prestigious Artist Model line. The production model has a mandolin-style scroll at the top of the body.

In 1968 while living in Sea Bright, Tal Farlow visited Phil Petillo's Studio Workshop every Saturday up until the early 1980s. Dr. Petillo, with legendary Tal Farlow, built what was known as the Full House Concept First Octave Divider, which was a stool that had a built-in amplifier and a pedal to control it. It provided smooth, rich warmth to the sound of the guitar with volume without distortion while allowing the artist more freedom of movement when performing. At this time, Phillip designed Tal a specialized guitar with a moving pickup that had nylon tracks underneath the pickguard to adjust the pickup in any position between the end of the fingerboard and bridge for jazz performances to suit his own individual needs, and to introduce young players to jazz and its components. They had a good creative working relationship for many years.
Farlow only made one record as a leader during 1960–1975, but emerged a bit more often during 1976–1984, recording for Concord fairly regularly before largely disappearing again. He was profiled in the documentary film, Talmage Farlow, made in 1980/81. The guitarist can be heard on his records for Blue Note (a 10" LP in 1954), Norgran (later Verve, 1954–60), and Prestige (1969), as well as those for Concord.
Farlow died in New York City on July 25, 1998.

Walkin'
Tal Farlow Lyrics

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The night is young, the skies are clear
So if you want to go walking, dear,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
I understand the reason why
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
You can tell at a glance
What a swell night this is for romance,

You can hear dear Mother Nature
Murmuring low,
"Let yourself go!"

So please be sweet, my chickadee,
And when I kiss you, just say to me,
"It's delightful, it's delicious,
It's delectable, it's delirious,
It's dilemma, it's delimit, it's deluxe,
It's de-lovely".

I feel a sudden urge to sing
The kind of ditty that invokes the spring.

I'll control my desire to curse
While you crucify the verse.

This verse I started seems to me
The Tin-Pantithesis of a melody

So spare us all the pain,
Just skip the darn thing and sing the refrain

Mi, mi, mi, mi,
Re, re, re, re,
Do, sol, mi, do, la, si.

The night is young, the skies are clear
So if you want to go walking, dear,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
I understand the reason why
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
You can tell at a glance
What a swell night this is for romance,
You can hear dear Mother Nature
Murmuring low,
"Let yourself go!"

So please be sweet, my chickadee,
And when I kiss you, just say to me,

"It's delightful, it's delicious,
It's, it's de-lovely".

Overall Meaning

The song ‘Walkin’ is an easy-listening and jazzy song. The first stanza talks about how beautiful the night is, with clear skies and a youthful feel. The singer then suggests walking with his lover, citing how wonderful and lovely it will be. The singer then understands that his lover is sentimental, just like him, and uses the word ‘de-lovely’ to describe the feeling of walking together. The singer also mentions how evident it is that the night is perfect for romancing, what with Mother Nature whispering sweet nothings in the wind, telling them to 'let loose' and talk about their feelings.

In the second stanza, the singer expresses an urge to sing a song with a melody invoking spring, but suppresses the desire to swear. The verse he introduces seems like it could be a great melody, but he decides to skip it and repeat the refrain line, where the 'de-lovely' phrase comes in once again, encouraging his lover to repeat it when he kisses her.

Overall, the song speaks of young love and how wonderful it is to experience it. The lyrics use beautiful and poetic language to describe the night, the atmosphere, and the feeling of being with someone special. The repeated use of the phrase 'de-lovely' makes it catchy to listeners, and even those who do not understand the meaning behind the phrase would enjoy humming along.

Walkin'Tal Farlow Lyrics

Walkin'
Tal Farlow Lyrics