On Thursday May 11th 2023 from 6-7:45pm, the Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is proud to present a very special evening of guitar duets featuring Mimi Fox and Jason Keiser.
Be part of this unique evening as the duo share their love of jazz and roots music styles! Material will range from originals to standards from The Great American Songbook.
This event is suitable for adults and teens. The concert will be held outside on the Carriage House Patio, so please dress accordingly. Doors open at 5:30pm. The concert will run from 6:00pm to 7:45, with a 15-minute intermission. Audience members are allowed to bring their own light snack and beverage of choice to the concert
Price
Members $40, Non-members $50.
Gamble Garden members enjoy a $10 discount! Members, enter promo code IRIS to receive your discount. Registration lists are checked with member lists. You may be asked to confirm your membership in a follow up email.
No refunds or exchanges.
About the Artists
When Mimi Fox and Jason Keiser play together, one can immediately recall the rich and inspiring lineage of guitar duets between such artists as Joe Pass & Herb Ellis, Chet Atkins & Lenny Breau, Chet Atkins & Jerry Reed, and Tony Rice & John Carlini. The guitar slinging duo released their first original music duet entitled; “Mimi’s Mode” in August 2022.
Praise from jazz guitar greats:
“Mimi and Jason take a spirited and often rambunctious jaunt on Mimi’s Mode. Some great playing here… sit back and enjoy the ride!” — Bruce Forman
“Mimi and Jason are kindred spirits, and they play with a real passion and empathy on Jason’s original tune dedicated to Mimi. Jason’s acoustic blends beautifully with Mimi’s electric and their conversation makes for compelling listening.” — John Stowell
“Mimi and Jason tear it up on this energetic romp. Great playing and a sonic delight.” — Pat Kelley
Mimi Fox
Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox has been cited in numerous Downbeat Magazine International Critics Polls and has been recognized by writers and colleagues alike as one of the most eloquent guitarists on today’s scene. In one of many feature stories, Jazz Times hailed Mimi as”a blazing fret master who combines be-bop infused lines with an abundance of soul…spinning solos that unfurl with surprise twists like expertly tailored short stories.” In a further nod to Mimi’s guitar artistry, and in conjunction with Heritage Guitars’ 30th anniversary, the historic Kalamazoo guitar company has rolled out the Mimi Fox Artist Signature model. Mimi has performed/recorded with some of the music world’s most commanding players, including fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan, and Charlie Hunter, Grammy-nominated saxophonists Branford Marsalis, David Sanchez, Houston Person, and the late Don Lanphere, vocalists Tierney Sutton, Kevin Mahogany, and Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), B3 organ masters Joey DeFrancesco, Barbara Denerlein and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and powerhouse drummers Billy Hart and Terri Lyne Carrington. She has also shared the stage with legends Stevie Wonder, and Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul, and Mary) and toured as a featured artist with Patty Larkin’s Vanguard Records-produced La Guitara project. Her YouTube videos have received hundreds of thousands of views.
As a virtuosic improviser who’s collaborated with many of jazz’s greatest figures, Mimi Fox has earned her spot in the jazz guitar pantheon. But the jazz tradition is only one of the powerful currents feeding her music. With her 11th album as a leader or co-leader, This Bird Still Flies, Fox delivers a seamless but far-ranging album that’s breathtaking in its beauty, emotional immediacy and stylistic reach. The all acoustic recording captures a commanding artist in full – transforming folk tunes, jazz standards, original compositions and popular songs into exquisitely crafted improvisational vehicles.
Press
“Beyond her passion and technical virtuosity, Fox plays with a profundity that only results from a lifetime of commitment and total immersion in one’s art.” — Guitar Player Magazine
“Utter mastery, four stars!” — Downbeat Magazine
“A Tour de Force from one of the preeminent practitioners of our time” — Midwest Record
“A dazzler from start to finish…remarkable” — Jazz Times
“Wonderful…glows like a candle” — Jazz Weekly
For further press, please visit www.mimifoxguitar.com/press
Jason Keiser
Jason Keiser is a professional guitarist, multi-instrumentalist & multi-stylist, recording artist, band leader, composer, and educator based out of the Bay Area currently residing in San Jose, California. Jason graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Bluegrass, Old-Time, & Country Music Studies from East Tennessee State University in 2018. In 2020, he graduated with his Masters of Music in Jazz Studies & Jazz Guitar performance from San Jose State University.
Jason is the band leader of Bay Area Jazz-Bluegrass Fusion string band; The New Acoustic Collective. The Collective released “Buckwild” in 2020 and “Art of Acoustics” featuring special guest Wyatt Rice in 2021. In September of 2021 after the release of “Art of Acoustics”, Jason & The New Acoustic Collective traveled to Raleigh North Carolina and performed at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s “World of Bluegrass” as Official Showcase Artists. In September 2022, The Collective released their 3rd album entitled; “Amor en Ritmo” featuring Thomas Cassell, Melissa Garay, Jim Kerwin, & Mike Mullins.
In addition to leading The New Acoustic Collective, Jason is an active solo jazz recording and performing artist, composer and arranger who has recorded, collaborated, and worked with the following artists; John Stowell, Dmitri Matheny, Rick Vandivier, Mimi Fox, Wyatt Rice, Jim Kerwin, Mike Mullins, Thomas Cassell, Melissa Garay, and many more.
In April 2023, Jason made his debut on Origin & OA2 Records with “Shaw’s Groove” featuring John Stowell, Erik Jekabson, Aaron Lington, Dan Robbins, and Jason Lewis, a special tribute to the late great trumpeter; Woody Shaw.
Press:
“I’m proud of what he is doing. He is a real go-getter. He doesn’t give up on anything. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he has done it.” — Wyatt Rice
“Jason is a very talented young up-and-coming guitar player. He is now developing a band called the New Acoustic Collective, which I think is a very nice name… I should have thought of it myself! I’m proud that he is going in the direction that he is going. He also recorded one of my tunes ‘Mugavero’ and did a great job on that.” — John Carlini
“Jason Keiser is one of the young musicians who is enthusiastic about carrying on with the music that David Grisman and Tony Rice started playing in the 1970s.” — Dan Miller, Bluegrass Unlimited
“San Jose–based Jason Keiser is yet another in the suddenly burgeoning field of young players who easily crosses boundaries from jazz and bluegrass.” — Dave Berry, Bluegrass Today
“Jason Keiser is a masterful guitarist whose melodic improvisations and eloquent chord melodies reveal a prodigious and promising talent”. — © James Scott, Minor 7th Acoustic Guitar Webzine
“Once in a while you encounter an artist who transcends mere technical wizardry and brings something extra to the table that can’t be taught. Jason Keiser is just such an artist. Jason’s playing is adventurous and exuberant, with a stylistic sense of whimsy anchored by a studied command of his instrument, enabling him to color outside the lines while bringing the listener full-circle, each solo a unique journey. An extremely accomplished young guitarist and composer whose reverence for, and expertise of Jazz and New Acoustic music will serve listeners well for a long time to come.” — Mike Mullins Professional Mandolinist & Guitarist, Acoustic Oasis Recording artist
“Guitarist Jason Keiser is finding a unique and compelling voice both as player and composer. His eclectic tastes in music and capability to live in different genres are combining in a beautiful synergy when Jason plays and writes. I will be following his career with interest and I look forward to collaborating with Jason in the near future.” — John Stowell, Professional Jazz Guitarist Origin Records Artist
“I recently became acquainted with Jason Keiser through our mutual friend John Stowell. Jason impresses me as a serious young guitarist, composer and recording artist with a solid work ethic and a bright future… I will follow Jason’s career with much interest.” — Dmitri Matheny, Professional Jazz Flugelhornist, Origin Records Artist