Donal Fox?

[JSngry]

Who's aware and what do you say now that you are?

Thinking an exploration is in order but spurring on is welcome if deemed appropriate.

[Larry Kart]

I have or think I have one Fox album. If I can track it down, I'll report.

This the one I have:

https://www.amazon.com/Boston-Duets-Oliver-Lake/dp/B00002MC14/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1470438199&sr=1-4&keywords=donal+fox

But you were curious about his more classical stuff?

[JSngry]

No, jazz. Although...does he play "the literature" on record? It seems like he really blurs the lines, which is OK with me.

[Larry Kart]

Well, he and Oliver Lake fit well. Fox's piano playing, on his own pieces and Lake's, does have a certain detectable modern classical orderliness to it, but the inherent abruptness/forcefulness and level of spiky dissonance he favors sounds a heck of a lot like how a good many pianists who might otherwise partner with a player like Lake (e.g. Muhal) would sound. The only "literature"piece they play is "Rhythm-a-ning," and while Fox doesn't play on it other than in terms of bouncing off of chosen motivic fragments and rhythmic gestures, neither does Lake. Sorry if that doesn't help that much; you probably need to hear it yourself. 
 

There's a fair amount more from Fox in various settings on YouTube.

[JSngry]

I got that duet album in this week, haven't gotten it opened yet though.

By "literature", I meant "classical". I came to him on a "classical" record and noticed that the few records of his own that I've seen made no bones about paying more than a casual attention to at least some of that repertoire.

Seems like a pretty interesting guy, "local" in terms of market optics, but hell, what does that really mean these days, not much.

Really like that clip, btw. Fox is...doggedly motivic from start to finish, and I like how that holds together while still keeping an "energy" energy.

[JohnS]

I have his duo cd on Evidence, Ugly Beauty, with David Murray.  I can't say it made much of an impression. Perhaps it's time to listen again.

[JSngry]

Been spending a few days with these two. They couldn't be more different, yet both are quite engaging.

The first is an overtly John Lewis/MJQ inspired affair, inspired by, but not really imitative of. Warren Wolf, John Lockwood, & Terri Lyne Carrington. Everybody came to play, no easy choices made, I was not expecting music this overtly jazz, but was happy to hear how it came out. Serious music.

Gone City is also serious music, but more of what I was expecting, "serious music" as traditionally ascribed, compositionally-oriented, no attempt at "placement" inside a "popular culture" paradigm, "art music", whatever that means (if it means anything). Small performing groups here, duos and trios, Quincy Troupe on poetry, Oliver Lake's here too, as are John Lockwood, Eric Thomas and William Brown. It's a very diverse presentation, actually, a few people various combined to certainly effective ends.

I would recommend both of these records without hesitation. They're both bullshit-free.