Other traditional material that gets a strong treatment from the trio includes the Ellington classic "Caravan," Parker's joyous "Yardbird Suite," and Jobim's "Triste." Even this short list shows that Mimi Fox ranges capably across a fairly wide spectrum of jazz material. The trio rocks out on "Caravan," with Latin funk that reminds you as much of '70s-style Nuyorican as Machito in the '50s. Fox leads the group through a few ballads, including "My Romance" and "Polkadots and Moonbeams," reworked just enough to show modern touches, but without massive reharmonization or departures from form. Packed into the mix are a few originals that show Mimi Fox planted firmly in a middle place between hard bop and the more modern guitar style you would associate with a Pat Metheny or Bill Frisell. The repertoire here is solidly in the canon, which isn't a bad thing, especially for jazz fans who fear the slippery slope toward Smooth Jazz...
Fox seems most comfortable playing eighth-note runs at medium tempo, at least in terms of outlining the underlying harmonies. When the tempo increases, she tends to resort to practiced lines and comping, or skittering rhythmic runs along the fretboard. Her command of each song is undeniable, and her ability to string out melodic, single-line, solos at lower tempos is respectable if not innovative. Two things are true: Guitarists don't cut their teeth on single-line solos, and there are only so many innovative things to do with this style of playing with a century of jazz behind us. We'd love to hear Fox experiment more with her extended technique, or expand her repertoire to include updated songs from jazz history that might force her to stretch more harmonically. As Mimi Fox: Live at the Palladium illustrates, Fox is a great interpreter of traditional bop and standards, and a unique voice on her instrument. At the very least, aspiring guitarists, bassists, and drummers should watch this as a master-class on how to play incredibly tasteful, polished trio jazz.
