"A prodigious talent who has not only mastered the traditional forms but has managed to reinvigorate them"! - Guitar Player Magazine
MIMI FOX Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox has been named a winner in 6 consecutive Downbeat Magazine international critic's polls and has been recognized by writers and colleagues alike as one of the most eloquent jazz guitarists on today's scene. In one of many feature stories, Guitar Player Magazine hailed Mimi as "a prodigious talent who has not only mastered the traditional forms but has managed to reinvigorate them."
Mimi has performed/recorded with some of jazz's most commanding players, including fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan, Charlie Hunter, and Mundell Lowe, Grammy-nominated saxophonists Branford Marsalis, David Sanchez and Houston Person and the late Don Lanphere, vocalists Abbey Lincoln, Diana Krall, Kevin Mahogany and Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), B3 organ masters Joey DeFrancesco, Barbara Denerlein and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and powerhouse drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. She has also performed outside of the jazz world with legends Stevie Wonder and John Sebastian and with Patty Larkin's Vanguard Records-produced La Guitara project.
See albums below:
Fox introduced herself to the international jazz scene in the 1990s with a pair of CDs on Monarch Records including Kicks, a high energy project pairing her with collaborators such as Joey DeFrancesco and Yellowjackets Russell Ferrante and Will Kenney. Allaboutjazz.com awarded the album a superlative four star rating: "This is a strongly melodic collection and one that swings out stylishly. Mimi Fox is a major talent."
Mimi maintains a whirlwind touring schedule, playing major festivals from New York to Tokyo, including tours of the Caribbean, Japan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. International festivals include the Montreal, Guinness Cork, Perth International, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. Stateside, she has headlined at elite venues such as The Blue Note, Merkin Concert Hall, and the Village Gate in New York City, The Regattabar and Scullers in Boston, The Kennedy Center and Blues Alley in Washington D.C., the Triple Door and Jazz Alley in Seattle, and Yoshi's and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.
As a composer, Mimi has written and performed original scores for orchestras, documentary films and dance projects while receiving grants from prestigious funders such as Meet the Composer and the California Arts Council. She has also appeared on numerous television shows such as "BET on Jazz" and has been a guest on many radio shows, including Marian McPartland's NPR program, "Piano Jazz".
As a devoted educator and clinician, Mimi has taught master classes worldwide while serving as head of the guitar program at the JazzSchool in Berkeley and Adjunct Professor at New YorkUniversity. She has published several popular instructional books and interactive CD-Roms for Mel Bay Publications and True Fire. Born in New York City, Fox started playing drums at nine and guitar when she was ten. She was inspired by the wide variety of music enjoyed by her family - show tunes, classical, Dixieland, Motown - and her own youthful inclination towards pop, folk, and R&B. When she was fourteen, she bought her first jazz album. That album, John Coltrane's classic Giant Steps, changed the course of her musical life. She began touring right out of high school and eventually settled in the San FranciscoBay area where she became a sought after player.Whether delivering jaw-dropping solo sets, performing dazzling duets with sympathetic partners, or leading a hard-charging combo, Mimi is a consummate improviser who seizes the imagination of her listeners with her passion, soul, and unerring ear for beauty.
“Mimi Fox plays with tremendous fire, she can pretty much do anything with her instrument” – JoePass
Mimi was a revelation to me the first time I heard her play. It wasn't just that her technique is amazing, it's that she sounded very original to me. I was just knocked out. -- NEA Master, guitarist Jim Hall
While Fox makes her first impression with her technical skills, it's her emotional depth as a player that leaves an enduring mark. -- Andrew Gilbert, Downbeat Magazine
Fox distinguishes herself as a remarkably accomplished straight ahead player with flawless time, pristine execution, serious chops, a keen ear for reharmonization and an inner urge to burn. -- Jazz TimesGuitarist Extraordinaire
Mimi Fox presented a stunning set of music that kept the audience riveted from the opening blues excursion to her immaculately delivered solo. Fox's firm control, clarity of concept, and emotional depth made this the most memorable moment of the festival. -- All About Jazz in a review of Mimi's performance at the KennedyCenter.
From the opening notes that revealed a loving touch and superb control, Fox left no doubt why she has received the highest praise from the highest places. Her attention to detail and nuance lent her entire play list a feeling of adventure and discovery. -- Arts and Opinion in a review of the Montreal Jazz Festival
