{"id":39777,"date":"2006-05-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-05-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/perpetually-hip\/"},"modified":"2006-05-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-05-30T00:00:00","slug":"perpetually-hip","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/perpetually-hip\/","title":{"rendered":"Perpetually Hip"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Quick, name a female jazz guitarist. Now, name the
\ntype of music you’d expect to hear on Steve Vai’s record label.<\/p>\n

If your answers was “I don’t know any” and “hard
\nrock,” then you’re like most people who haven’t heard of Mimi Fox
\nyet. Personally, I didn’t know people made jazz like this anymore,
\nso it was a welcome discovery to find Mimi. And not only does she
\ndeliver with a band on this double disc, the second CD is nothing
\nbut incredible solo jazz guitar.<\/p>\n

New York bassist Harvie S., drummer Billy Hart and
\npianist Xavier Davis back up Mimi here, and the quartet grooves
\nlike they’ve been together forever. An incredibly fluid and upbeat
\nguitar sound carries the first disc, but Davis’ piano solos and
\nsome off-kilter drumming by Hart makes this a bit more urgent than
\nmost jazz releases. The Kern\/Hammerstein piece “The Song Is You” is
\nthe standout example, nine minutes that flies by based on an
\nuncanny amount of swing, for such a laid-back tune.<\/p>\n

“But Beautiful” brings in a sublime salsa melody and
\nMimi’s unplugged acoustic for a day at the beach, while Harvie gets
\nhis chance to shine in “Saluting The Groove,” an upbeat blues tune.
\nThe other highlight here is the downbeat “While Bangkok Sleeps,”
\ninspired by a visit to Thailand where Mimi picked up some Thai folk
\nmusic vibes to add to her playing.<\/p>\n

The second CD is a departure from the first, and not
\njust because Mimi goes solo. The influence of her mentor Joe Pass
\nis all over the disc; reports say she went to his hotel room and
\nplayed seven or eight pieces before he stopped her and told her she
\nwas amazing, better than the schmucks that came to see him for
\nlessons.<\/p>\n

But she is influenced by others, which is evident on
\nthe opener “Caravan,” a Duke Ellington classic given an interesting
\ntwist here. It’s a testament to Mimi’s prowess that she can keep a
\nlistener riveted for five minutes with nothing more than an
\nacoustic guitar solo, but the woman is talented. “Alone Together”
\nproves this, a ten-minute jazz standard given an interesting take
\nby Mimi here, even if it runs a bit long.<\/p>\n

She closes with “When The Saints Go Marching In” as a
\ntribute to New Orleans, recorded weeks before the hurricanes hit.
\nPlayed on a steel guitar, the track veers from jazz harmonies to
\nblues riffs and even a bit of swing, but never falters even as it
\nveers sharply away from the original’s melody.<\/p>\n

Of course, any disc with only one instrument gets old
\nafter a time, even when played by a master (mistress?), and parts
\nof both discs tend to drag. However, Mimi Fox may well be the most
\ntalented female jazz guitarist in the business, and she plays with
\nan enthusiasm and grace lacking from many contemporary jazz
\nrecordings. She hasn’t broken any new ground here, but it’s safe to
\nsay she remains perpetually hip, and that’s good enough.<\/p>\n

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