Standards, Old & New

For her third solo guitar release, San Francisco-based Mimi Fox blends folk, pop and jazz standards into a collection of accessible, high spirited jazz. Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" opens up the disc with bluesy inflections and impressive double time soloing with bass lines, chords and riffs spread out in even proportion. "Cry Me a River" by nature lends itself to soulful inflection and Fox turns the tune inside-out. A grand acoustic guitar sound creates a more ethereal vibe on Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life" and the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home."

It would be hard for any jazz guitarist playing standards in a solo setting to escape the influence of Joe Pass. Fox seems to embrace the legacy of the late virtuoso by incorporating and expanding on many of his innovative characteristics. This is especially evident on the ballad medley of "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," with thick clusters of guitarisms that somehow transcend the limitations of six strings.