www.myspace.com/donalfoxprojects
Donal Fox
Composer - Pianist
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK
A publication of AllAboutJazz.com
January 2006, Page 4
Composer/pianist Donal Fox has been performing Monk and Bach for five years with a rotating rhythm section and stellar results. He may though have recently found perfect foils in George Mraz (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) during last month's week-long residency at Dizzy's Club, the project's NYC debut.
Fox, equally steeped in jazz and classical, utilizes Monk and Bach as mere samples of his cross-genre proficiency. On Dec. 7th, he showcased original arrangements as his trio broke new ground that the MJQ and pianist Jacques Loussier explored but only in a more mainstream sense. The spontaneity in the improvisational-based performances framed by Fox's understanding and virtuosity in both idioms allowed him naturally to incorporate and explore themes of each on moment's notice, resulting in a personal combination of the two.
Mraz' omnipresence as one of jazz bass' most under-rated veterans provided an anchor much like Percy Heath with deep yet concise and always melodic playing ("Blues for Handel"). Nash, a one-man band, weaved simultaneous rhythms without breaking a sweat (Monk's "Bright Mississippi").
Rhythmically and melodically always in tune, the three swung through "Kinderscenen, Op.15 no. 1" while interspersing Bach embellishments into "Cinema Paradiso." The encore brought the group's namesake to the fore: Monk's "Ugly Beauty" seamlessly fused with Bach's "Little Prelude in C Minor."
Laurence Donohue-Greene
ALLABOUTJAZZ-NEW YORK|January 2006