Perpetually Hip

Mimi Fox

Favored Nations Cool, 2006

http://www.mimifoxguitar.com

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 05/30/2006

Quick, name a female jazz guitarist. Now, name the type of music you'd expect to hear on Steve Vai's record label.

If your answers was "I don't know any" and "hard rock," then you're like most people who haven't heard of Mimi Fox yet. Personally, I didn't know people made jazz like this anymore, so it was a welcome discovery to find Mimi. And not only does she deliver with a band on this double disc, the second CD is nothing but incredible solo jazz guitar.

New York bassist Harvie S., drummer Billy Hart and pianist Xavier Davis back up Mimi here, and the quartet grooves like they've been together forever. An incredibly fluid and upbeat guitar sound carries the first disc, but Davis' piano solos and some off-kilter drumming by Hart makes this a bit more urgent than most jazz releases. The Kern/Hammerstein piece "The Song Is You" is the standout example, nine minutes that flies by based on an uncanny amount of swing, for such a laid-back tune.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

"But Beautiful" brings in a sublime salsa melody and Mimi's unplugged acoustic for a day at the beach, while Harvie gets his chance to shine in "Saluting The Groove," an upbeat blues tune. The other highlight here is the downbeat "While Bangkok Sleeps," inspired by a visit to Thailand where Mimi picked up some Thai folk music vibes to add to her playing.

The second CD is a departure from the first, and not just because Mimi goes solo. The influence of her mentor Joe Pass is all over the disc; reports say she went to his hotel room and played seven or eight pieces before he stopped her and told her she was amazing, better than the schmucks that came to see him for lessons.

But she is influenced by others, which is evident on the opener "Caravan," a Duke Ellington classic given an interesting twist here. It's a testament to Mimi's prowess that she can keep a listener riveted for five minutes with nothing more than an acoustic guitar solo, but the woman is talented. "Alone Together" proves this, a ten-minute jazz standard given an interesting take by Mimi here, even if it runs a bit long.

She closes with "When The Saints Go Marching In" as a tribute to New Orleans, recorded weeks before the hurricanes hit. Played on a steel guitar, the track veers from jazz harmonies to blues riffs and even a bit of swing, but never falters even as it veers sharply away from the original's melody.

Of course, any disc with only one instrument gets old after a time, even when played by a master (mistress?), and parts of both discs tend to drag. However, Mimi Fox may well be the most talented female jazz guitarist in the business, and she plays with an enthusiasm and grace lacking from many contemporary jazz recordings. She hasn't broken any new ground here, but it's safe to say she remains perpetually hip, and that's good enough.

Rating: B

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© 2006 Benjamin Ray and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Favored Nations Cool, and is used for informational purposes only.