Learning, listening and playing jazz is a jouney that takes a lifetime to travel. While every traveller plots their own path, all travelers must pass through the same milestones along the way. Much like how American painter, Thomas Cole depicts childhood, youth, adulthood and maturity in his series of paintings, "The Voyage of Life," American jazz artist, Mimi Fox presents the four key educational milestones that a jazz guitarist must achieve. Mimi's four TrueFire courses: Jazz Anatomy, Graduated Solos, Flying Solo and now Jazz Performance guide the student through the requisite techniques, harmony, improvisational theory and creative skills they'll need for their journey.

Video Introduction

Click below for a sample video from the course

About the Guitar Lesson Plan

Interactive Video Guitar Instruction

In Jazz Anatomy, Mimi broke down the fundamentals of the form, covering both rhythm and soloing over the five most common progressions; major blues, minor blues, modal, and both minor and major 2-5-1 progressions. In Graduated Solos, Mimi guided the student in the art of improvisation focusing on constructing balanced, inventive and engaging solos. Mimi's third course, Flying Solo, revealed the underlying science and art of performing and improvising without a rhythm section.

Now, in Jazz Performance, Mimi demonstrates the culmination of the key learnings from her previous three courses in a very unique educational format. In the first section of the course, the student is treated to live performances of 10 jazz standards in a trio setting. In the second section, Mimi provides an artist commentary for each tune, where she describes her harmonic and creative approach for the entire tune, including the solos. In the third section, Mimi analyzes and demonstrates key chord voicings and phrases from each tune's improvised solos.

Jazz Performance features several jazz standards, as well as Mimi's original tunes: Blues for Two, Stella by Starlight, Pack of Lies, Roses in January, Triste, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Yardbird Suite, My Romance, Caravan, and Lullaby of the Leaves.

The live footage was shot at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida and went on to be a live performance DVD published by Favored Nations (Mimi Fox: Live at the Palladium). Mimi is joined by drummer Akira Tana and bassist Chris Enghauser. This highly acclaimed DVD, and winner of a Telly award, is bundled in its entirety with the course.

The instructional elements are presented in an interactive video format and include complete tab and notation of the solos. Power tab and Guitar Pro files are also provided.

Whatever path you've chose to take on your journey to becoming a great jazz player, Jazz Performance will help light your way.

About Your Instructor

Mimi Fox

Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox has been named a winner in 6 consecutive Downbeat Magazine international critic's polls and has been recognized by writers and colleagues alike as one of the most eloquent jazz guitarists on today's scene. In one of many feature stories, Guitar Player Magazine hailed Mimi as "a prodigious talent who has not only mastered the traditional forms but has managed to reinvigorate them."

Mimi has performed/recorded with some of jazz's most commanding players, including fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan, Charlie Hunter, and Mundell Lowe, Grammy-nominated saxophonists Branford Marsalis, David Sanchez and Houston Person and the late Don Lanphere, vocalists Abbey Lincoln, Diana Krall, Kevin Mahogany and Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer), B3 organ masters Barbara Denerlein and Dr. Lonnie Smith, and powerhouse drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. She has also performed outside of the jazz world with legends Stevie Wonder and John Sebastian and with Patty Larkin's Vanguard Records-produced La Guitara project.