Michael Fath
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Review of "All Of Me"
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By: Thomas O`Grady
ichael Fath may not have widespread name
recognition among jazz listeners, but he has
apparently made quite a name for himself in the D.C.
area as a guitarist capable of playing at the highest
level in virtually any genre of music: rock,
metal/fusion, blues, rockabilly, roots-acoustic, even
classical. A four-time winner in the best rock
instrumentalist category of the Washington Area
Music Awards, he has recorded many albums as a
leader, and has appeared on many more as band
member or studio sideman.
Recently, he has directed his talents toward
jazz, playing with both a trio and a nine-piece band.
On "All of Me" he adds one more notch to his guitar
as he performs solo on a twelve-tune set made up of
nine jazz standards and three originals.
And what a satisfying set this is. Less
introspective than Joe Pass's renditions of jazz
classics on his series of "Virtuoso" albums, Fath's
arrangements and compositions are nonetheless
consistently compelling, introducing him as a player
with authentic jazz chops. Tackling a variety of
tunes from "Blue Monk" to "Autumn Leaves" to
"Naima" to "So What", Fath keeps them interesting
by mixing and matching his approaches both within
and between tunes, at times carrying the melody in
the lead tones of lushly constructed chords, at
times adding a contrapuntal walking bass line, at
times commenting on the interplay of harmony and
melody with glissando-slick fistfuls of single notes.
Showcasing all of those features, the opening tune,
"Take the A Train", sets the high standard for all
that follow.
Other tunes include "Georgia", "Blue Bossa",
"Night and Day", and the title number "All of Me."
Fath plays all of these, as well as the three tunes he
composed, with both an impressive authority and an
admirable subtlety. And from the start to finish he
displays a true sense of swing. This CD should
prove pleasing for affcionados of solo guitar.
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©
Thomas O`Grady / Just Jazz Guitar
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