Published on May 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.
“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.