Dave Fox Group

Gatewalk – Assembledsound asi-001 . Web: www.assembledsound.com . Patios; Mayday; Only the Sill Remains; Gatewalk; Branflakes; I Hear a Trellis; Berserker; Incommodious Escape #4; Terraces; Life as a Flower Pot; Melody for Play; Reculuer Pour Mieuz Satuer.

Personnel: Dave Fox, keyboard; Michael Collings, guitar; David Menestres, bass; Ian Davis, percussion.

By Joshua Musselwhite

The Dave Fox Group is based in Greensboro, North Carolina where Fox currently teaches. An alumnus of UNCG (University of North Carolina at Greensboro), he also is full-time coordinator of their fine arts division. In addition to his busy schedule as an active performer and educator, he is also working on his doctorate.

The group's style choice is often free jazz or avant-garde, but this is also contrasted with precontrived sections, which “sit in the compositional tradition worked out by the Dave Holland groups over the years” as can be heard on the title track, “Gatewalk.” The tune features a 15/8 time signature with a repeated melodic pattern yielding syncopated accents, giving the illusion of a very complex time signature. The melody is in the guitar and is based on long spacious notes. The drums are performing in a loose feel, but perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the tune is the beautiful exotic harmonies. Besides the harmonic implications of the repeated motif, the chords in the guitar add a level of depth and fascination.

The other tunes on the album that are not quite á la Dave Holland are often quite free. These sections really open up a great opportunity for the group to communicate well and interact, a task they seem to have no problem with. All members of the group draw upon every ounce of musicianship they have to pull off some remarkable stuff. The variety of sounds that can come from one instrument is amazing. This is a lesson in itself as Sidney Bechet used to make his students practice in a similar fashion: to shape a note in every possible way imaginable.

The Dave Fox Group is an imaginative and inventive ensemble. Their combination of free and traditional jazz yields a unique and highly satisfying experience for the listener. Their debut album Gatewalk is an excellent beginning to what I hope is a long and prosperous recording career.