Miles Okazaki - Boomtown - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Thisness is guitarist Miles Okazaki's third album for Pi Recordings with his band Trickster. It is a sequel to The Sky Below, which was described by Allmusic as Inchan umbrella of labyrinthine lyricism, full of mischief and delight as a harmonic foundation,Inch and by Point of Departure as Inchoverflowing with energy, and elegant despite it's complexity.Inch The critical success of that album and WORK, an ambitious recording of the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk for solo guitar, helped land Okazaki atop the Rising Star Jazz Guitarist category in the Downbeat Critics Poll.For the new album, Okazaki has created a to improvise that emphasizes non-linear flow between musical ideas. Rather than a fixed book of compositions, the music is comprised of various themes connected by hubs that Okazaki describes as akin to traffic circles. Through hidden musical cues, the leader signals when the music is approaching the transition point and which exit path to take. Trickster features the rhythm section of bassist Anthony Tidd, and drummer Sean Rickman, who provide an elastic foundation, hurtling and tugging on the ever-present groove. Keyboardist Matt Mitchell and Okazaki together are a marvel of cohesion Their constant weaving of contrapuntal, labyrinthine lines astound with their nimble precision. Despite all the obvious complexity, the playing feels effortlessly in service of the music rather than pointlessly dazzling. The wonder lies in their journey, with beautiful new vistas opening with each turn in the road.

French pop vocalist Laurence InchLoInch Jay makes her first jazz record backed by a great band live in the studio. Musicians include - Julien Brunetaud on piano, Sebastien Girardot on bass, David Blenkhorn on guitar, Duke Heitger on trumpet, Sebastien Arruti on trombone. InchLoInch has a lovely voice and tackles a wide range of songs including - Boogie Blues, Skylark, Basin Street Blues, When You're Smiling, La Vie en Rose, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, Come By Me, I Want a Grown Up Man, Thou Swell, And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine and Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?

The Sky Below is guitarist Miles Okazaki's sequel to his critically-acclaimed Trickster (Pi 2017), which the New York Times labeled Inchtenacious futurismInch and Pitchfork called Inchobviously complex, the work of virtuosi.Inch The album received critics' picks in both Downbeat and JazzTimes, acclaimed as Inchan intellectually hefty album that feels weightlessInch and Incha real breakthrough.Inch The Sky Below continues the story of Trickster, this time following the classical arc of an oceanic voyage, where the character travels across a boundary (InchRise and ShineInch), enters the unknown (InchDog StarInch), visits magical islands (InchAnthemoessaInch and InchSeven SistersInch), is caught in a storm (InchMonstropolousInch), abandoned (InchThe CastawayInch), and finds a way home (InchThe LighthouseInch). For these songs, Okazaki took each of the compositions from Trickster, reduced them to their basic components, and rewrote new compositions from this genetic material to maintain their symbolic and sonic continuity.The Trickster band is comprised of Okazaki on guitar, Anthony Tidd on electric bass, Sean Rickman on drums, with the addition of Matt Mitchell on piano. A first-call musician on the cutting edge of jazz, Mitchell also prominently features Okazaki on his latest , Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi 2019). The team of Tidd and Rickman, whom Okazaki first played with as the rhythm section of saxophonist Steve Coleman's Five Elements, form a seamless rhythmic foundation for the band. Together, they demonstrate the ability that they have honed for decades of negotiating abstract musical information while maintaining an unstoppable rhythmic drive. With it's narrative structure and Okazaki's judicious use of studio effects, The Sky Below evokes the fathomless depths of the sea, both familiar and strange.