Mimi Fox- Kicks

Mimi Fox bought her first jazz album at age fourteen. At the ripe old age of ten, she took up the guitar. Absorbing the music around her – Broadway, Classical, Dixieland, Motown – she explored every performing opportunity. “I was in a million bands and played pop, blues, bluegrass… even orchestral drums!”

Her early influences are very obvious on her Kicks release. The title tune would be at home in any Chicago blues club, as is her rendition of the Paul Simon Classic Loves me like a rock. The smooth lines of Duke Ellington’s In a Sentimental Mood and (my favorite) the crisply-staccato Willow Weep for Me show that Mimi truly has guitar skills to go with her obvious style.

Guitar legend Joe Pass once declared of Mimi: “she can do pretty much anything she wants on guitar.” The variety of musical styles on this album showcase Mimi’s talents in a variety of musical settings and make it pretty clear that she probably can do anything she wants.

Angela Bofill sits in on the Mel Torme classic Born to Be Blue, lending her strong earthy sound to Mimi’s soulful strumming. Also appearing on the album are drummer Will Kennedy, pianist Russell Ferrante, organ virtuoso Joey DeFrancesco, bassist Mark Van Wageningen and John Wiitala, percussionist Marquinho Brasil and guitarist Charlie Hunter.