Sympátrio brings together three of the most creative and expansive musical luminaries on the scene today – Mimi Fox, Ian Dogole and Bill Douglass. Drawing upon an extensive, worldly palette of musical genres and instruments, Sympátrio performs music that is truly “beyond category.” Spanning the musical gamut from Thelonious Monk to Chinese folk music to Joni Mitchell to original compositions and thrilling free improvisations, Sympátrio presents a dizzying array of virtuosity, variety, adventure and humor that leaves audiences on the edge of their seats and wondering “what will they do next?”
Mimi Fox – Guitar
Internationally renowned guitarist/composer/recording artist Mimi Fox (www.mimifoxjazzguitar.com) has been named a winner in six consecutive Downbeat Magazine international critic’s polls and is one of the most widely acclaimed jazz guitarists on today’s scene. Mimi has performed/recorded with Branford Marsalis, David Sanchez, Houston Person, Abbey Lincoln, Diana Krall, Janis Siegal (Manhattan Transfer), Joey DeFrancesco, and fellow guitarists Charlie Byrd, Stanley Jordan and Mundell Lowe. She has also shared the stage with legends Stevie Wonder and John Sebastian and was featured on La Guitara, a special project of Vanguard recording artist Patty Larkin. Mimi has released eight highly acclaimed albums as a leader. Her double CD Perpetually Hip was hailed as a “masterwork” by scores of jazz publications. Mimi performs at major festivals from New York to Tokyo, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, the Perth International Jazz Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Stateside, she has headlined at elite jazz venues, including the Blue Note, Merkin Concert Hall, Sweet Rhythm and The Village Gate in New York City, the Regattabar and Scullers in Boston, Blues Alley in Washington DC, Triple Door and Jazz Alley in Seattle, and Yoshi’s and the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Mimi Has appeared on numerous television shows, including “BET on Jazz,” and as a guest on many radio shows, including NPR’s “Piano Jazz” with Marian McPartland. Mimi has also written and performed original scores for orchestras, documentary films and dance projects while receiving grants from prestigious funders such as Meet the Composer and the California Arts Council. A respected educator with several popular books and CD-ROMs with Mel Bay Publications and True Fire, Mimi conducts clinics worldwide and heads the guitar department at the Jazz School in Berkeley, and is adjunct professor of jazz studies at New York University.
Ian Dogole – Global Percussion
For nearly 30 years, Ian Dogole (www.iandogole.com) has articulated his vision of Global Fusion Music as a multipercussionist, bandleader, composer, recording artist, producer and educator. He has released five records and a DVD as a leader – Along the Route, Dangerous Ground, Ionospheres, Night Harvest, Convergence, Ian Dogole & Hemispheres In Concert (DVD) and Crossroads. Ian has recorded and performed with artists such as Hamza el Din, Paul McCandless, Richie Cole and Tito La Rosa. Ian’s compositions are available on the recordings, Dreamchaser and Asian Fusion by Ancient Future, and have been used by the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies, Brown University and the Indonesian Park Service. Ian performs on a wide variety of percussion instruments, including udu, cajon, hang, talking drums, global drum set, mbiras and dumbek. He has received numerous grants, including a Jazz Performance Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a recent grant from the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music (SFFCM) to present a musical tribute concert in honor of the legendary trumpeter/composer Woody Shaw. Ian has been a frequent participant in the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music program, presenting assemblies to more than 50,000 elementary school students. He is a long-time faculty member of the Sierra Jazz Society's summer Jazz Camp and is a contributing writer for JazzTimes Magazine.
Bill Douglass – Double Bass, Bamboo Flutes & Ocarina
Bassist/flutist Bill Douglass (www.sierrajazzsociety.com) was influenced early in his career by Rafael (Don) Garrett, who inspired him along his lifelong path of pursuing both bass and bamboo flutes. In the 1970s, Bill joined Rubisa Patrol, led by pianist Art Lande and later joined The Flowing Stream Ensemble, a Chinese music group in which he played bamboo flutes. He is noted for his flute work both in concert performances throughout the world and in soundtracks for many highly acclaimed films, including 1000 Pieces of Gold, The Black Stallion and Never Cry Wolf. Over the last three decades, Bill has performed and recorded on double bass with world-renowned musicians such as Marian McPartland, Mose Allison, Mark Isham, Terry Riley and Art Lande and has performed at many of Europe's major Jazz festivals. He has also performed Chinese folk and classical music for over 30 years. Currently, Bill is the artistic director of the Sierra Jazz Society, which presents the annual summer Jazz Camp, along with year-round concert performances and educational programs to the community in Nevada County, California. This year, he will be rejoining the faculty at Jazz Camp West.
