Ali Ryerson - Mimi Fox Duo

Ali Ryerson has emerged as one of the most exciting and versatile flutists on the scene today. She has performed with such diverse talents as Dr. Billy Taylor, Kenny Barron, Stephane Grappelli, Frank Wess, Red Rodney, Laurindo Almeida, Art Farmer, Maxine Sullivan, Roy Haynes, Julius Baker, and (as principal flutist with the Monterey Bay Symphony) with Luciano Pavarotti.

Ali has toured the USA, Canada, Europe, Japan and Africa, and has performed in many major jazz festivals, including the famed Monterey Jazz Festival; the JVC in New York; Guinness Festival and  Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, and Carnegie Hall.

Ali has released over a dozen jazz albums, the first four on European labels. She was then signed by legendary record producer Bob Thiele who produced two albums on his Red Baron label. Ali then signed with Concord Jazz for an additional three recordings. Jazziz put her Concord debut album on its Critic's Picks for 1995.

Ms. Ryerson has released two recordings, in duo with guitarist Joe Beck, on the DMP label. The most recent recordings are with Flutology, First Date featuring the Frank Wess and Holly Hofmann on the Capri label, and Ryerson & Rudoph's Soul Quest on the PACT label, featuring Steve Rudolph on piano and Steve Varner on bass.

Ali had performed with Dr. Billy Taylor at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, a performance which was taped for national broadcast on NPR. She has appeared as guest soloist with the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra.

Ali was musical director of a Hudson River Regional Jazz Festival from 2001 through 2004. She is currently the Jazz Chair for the National Flute Association. For several years she has been named in the Downbeat Magazine Jazz Poll.         

Ali conducts jazz flute seminars at many schools and universities throughout the country, including Ohio State University, the University of Alaska, Capital University in Columbus, Ohio and the Western Connecticut State University Summer Flute Institute. Hidden Valley Music Seminars in California presents Ms. Ryerson's annual week-long jazz flute master class the first week in July. Ms. Ryerson is a Brio Performing Artist and Clinician for Gemeinhardt.

Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox has been named a winner in six consecutive Downbeat Magazine international critic’s polls and is one of the most widely-acclaimed jazz guitarists on today’s scene.

Mimi has released nine recordings as a leader, including her newest release on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label, Live at the Palladium. This new DVD features Mimi in front of a sold-out audience and has all the magic and excitement of a live performance. Pop Culture Classics said: “Fox demonstrates her vibrant virtuosity in this concert and turns each selection into a distinctive gem.” Just Jazz Guitar said: “This is simply jazz guitar playing at its best. Her ideas are creative, heartfelt, and sophisticated.”

2006's double CD, Perpetually Hip, received rave reviews from scores of publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, which called this project Fox's "masterwork" and said: "The two discs stand as a definitive Fox statement. The first showcases her simmering interplay with a quartet featuring drum maestro Billy Hart, while the second captures her breathtaking solo style in an approach that is as harmonically resourceful as it is lyrically inventive."

Mimi has performed/recorded with Branford Marsalis, David Sanchez, Houston Person, Don Lanphere, Abbey Lincoln, Diana Krall, Kevin Mahogany and Janis Siegal of the Manhattan Transfer; Barbara Dennerlein, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Terri Lyne Carrington; and fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan, Charlie Hunter, and Mundell Lowe. She has also shared the stage with legends Stevie Wonder and John Sebastian and was featured on La Guitara, a special project of Vanguard recording artist Patty Larkin. Mimi has released eight highly acclaimed albums as a leader, including her two most recent on Steve Vai’s Favored Nations label.

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 Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center, the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, the Perth International Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Jazz Festival, among countless others. Stateside, she has headlined at elite jazz venues, including the Blue Note, Merkin Concert Hall, Sweet Rhythm, and the

Village Gate in New York City; the Regattabar and Scullers in Boston; Blues Alley in Washington D.C., Triple Door and Jazz Alley in Seattle; and Yoshi’s and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Mimi Has appeared on numerous television shows, including BET on Jazz, and as a guest on many radio shows, including NPR’s Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland.

Mimi has also 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.

A respected and devoted educator with several popular books and CD-ROMs with Mel Bay Publications and True Fire, Mimi conducts clinics worldwide and heads the guitar department at the Jazz School in Berkeley, and is adjunct professor of jazz studies at New York University.

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.

www.mimifoxjazzguitar.com