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San Francisco-based guitarist Mimi Fox was born in 1956 in New York city. Growing up, Fox recalls an eclectic mix of music in the home. |
Her father, a amateur drummer, enjoyed early jazz and had a collection of Dixieland albums. Her mother was a professional singer until Mimi was 12, so the music of the American songbook was also present. Meanwhile, her older brother and sister were taken with the rock and pop sounds of the late 60s and early 70s.
Mimi began playing the drums at age nine in the school band. A year later, she picked up the guitar and began picking out Beatles and Monkees tunes. She would continue playing guitar throughout her teenage years but with a focus on funk, R&B and Top 40 music.
As a drummer, Mimi remained connected to jazz, playing in several groups through junior high and high school. At age 14, Fox was encouraged by her friends and bandmates to check out John Coltrane, which she still recalls as a seminal moment in her musical development.
In 1979, Fox moved out to San Francisco, where she became an in-demand musician playing in a number of diverse groups in and around the bay area. There she met guitarist Bruce Forman, who encouraged her to take up jazz guitar fulltime. Fox has been recording and touring fiendishly, playing jazz clubs and festivals around the world and garnering accolades from fans and critics along the way.
Now based in San Francisco, Fox continues a grueling touring schedule and also finds time for jazz education. She serves as the Chair of the Guitar Department at the Jazz School in Berkeley and has served as an adjunct professor at New York University. In addition she has written a guitar methods book for Mel Bay publishing and has also created a CD-ROM based jazz course called Jazz Anatomy.
Her latest CD -- Perpetually Hip -- is her seventh release as a band leader. The two cd set features guitar quartet on one disc and her solo guitar work on the other.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
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Set List for Mimi Fox on Piano Jazz:"No Greater Love" (Jones, Symes)
"Stella By Starlight" (Washington, Young)
"Perpetually Hip" (Fox)
"Willow Creek" (McPartland)
"Alone Together" (Dietz, Schwartz)
"Buddy's Blues" (Fox)
Medley: "Someone to Watch over Me," "Moonlight in Vermont," "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (G. & I. Gershwin; Blackburn, Suessdorf; Porter)
Mimi began playing the drums at age nine in the school band. A year later, she picked up the guitar and began picking out Beatles and Monkees tunes. She would continue playing guitar throughout her teenage years but with a focus on funk, R&B and Top 40 music.
As a drummer, Mimi remained connected to jazz, playing in several groups through junior high and high school. At age 14, Fox was encouraged by her friends and bandmates to check out John Coltrane, which she still recalls as a seminal moment in her musical development.
In 1979, Fox moved out to San Francisco, where she became an in-demand musician playing in a number of diverse groups in and around the bay area. There she met guitarist Bruce Forman, who encouraged her to take up jazz guitar fulltime. Fox has been recording and touring fiendishly, playing jazz clubs and festivals around the world and garnering accolades from fans and critics along the way.
Now based in San Francisco, Fox continues a grueling touring schedule and also finds time for jazz education. She serves as the Chair of the Guitar Department at the Jazz School in Berkeley and has served as an adjunct professor at New York University. In addition she has written a guitar methods book for Mel Bay publishing and has also created a CD-ROM based jazz course called Jazz Anatomy.
Her latest CD -- Perpetually Hip -- is her seventh release as a band leader. The two cd set features guitar quartet on one disc and her solo guitar work on the other.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
Subscribe!
Set List for Mimi Fox on Piano Jazz: