One for Wes

Rich toned guitarist Mimi Fox is a pleasure to hear with every release and every setting. She has an inherent sense of swing to her note selection and plays for feeling instead of mindless chops. Here, she tackles the world of the Hammond B3 trio with organmeister Brian Ho and drummer Lorca Hart, saluting the early days of Wes Montgomery's similar trio in the process. She composes a healthy amount of the material, still leaving room for a tasty intro to the gospel drenched "Moanin'" with Hart hitting it in a Sunday morning mood. On acoustic, she's lovely on a folkish read of The Beatles' "In My Life" and Paul Simon's "Old Friends".

With her own stuff, there's a gypsy feel on the acoustic "For Django, Avec Amor", while when she plugs in she's cool and silky on "Mr. White's Blues". She gives a salute to Wes Montgomery on the humming "Blues For Us" and does some nice unison lines with Ho on the elliptical "Pack Of Lies" while skating over Hart's deft brushes on "Judy's Song".