Donal Fox: Gone City

I’m not even sure Donal Fox would agree to his inclusion in a jazz magazine; however, due to his prior duet collaborations with David Murray and Oliver Lake, this sphere is as good a place as any for his work. More in the vein of contemporary chamber music, Fox’s original music is addressed by a series of duo and trio performances, none of which include a “conventional” jazz rhythm section-there are no drums on the date, for example.

Fox’s colleagues here include the operatic tenor voice of William Brown, clarinetist Eric Thomas, Lake, and perhaps most penetratingly, performance poet-author Quincy Troupe-who contributes some wicked commentary on ghetto basketball lore in one instance. Another collaborator is bassist John Lockwood, whose spooky opening lines lend an aura of mystery to Fox’s ballet “Gone City.”