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"All Of Me" Review Featured In Just Jazz Guitar, May, 2003 g9 Line
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Michael Fath
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Review of "All Of Me"

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By: Thomas O`Grady

letter 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.

© Thomas O`Grady / Just Jazz Guitar

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