Miles Okazaki: The Sky Below

Guitarist Miles Okazaki enlists keyboardist Matt Mitchell plus two of his long-time bandmates in Steve Coleman’s Five Elements, electric bassist Anthony Tidd and drummer Sean Rickman, for the distinctly absorbing The Sky Below. This new collection of original songs is derived somewhat mysteriously from the tunes on his 2016 release Trickster (Pi Recordings), coupled with the influence of the guitarist’s deep dive into the music of Thelonious Monk that resulted in a much-praised collection of solo versions of Monk’s complete works. As Okazaki explains it, “If Trickster was the introduction to the characters, the songs on this album are their children, bearing their features but finding their own way.” While there’s plenty of available information about how this thoughtful composer got from one set of compositions to the next, or details about the “virtual instruments” he designed via software, or his own musings about the myths and characters behind the songs, none of that would matter if this wasn’t beautifully realized music that thrills from the get-go. The rhythmic lock that Tidd and Rickman provide keeps things popping all the way through. Okazaki, using an array of effects and computer-generated sounds, and Mitchell, switching off between acoustic and electric pianos plus a synthesizer, trade solos in brisk and ever-surprising interactions. From the jittery wake up call of the cannily arranged Rise and Shine through the quietly intense Seven Sisters, the uptempo electronics of Monstropolous, the deliciously laid back feeling of The Castaway and on to the mostly peaceful lullaby To Dream Again that closes the set, there’s a genuine depth to the writing and playing that will surely keep listeners enthralled for a long time. Absolutely recommended.
Pi Recordings PI84; Miles Okazaki (g, elec) Matt Mitchell (p, Rhodes el p, Prophet-6 synth) Anthony Tidd (el b) Sean Rickman (d); Astoria, NY, June 13-14 & June 29, 2019; Rise and Shine/ Dog Star/ Anthemoessa/ Seven Sisters/ Monstropolous/ The Castaway/ The Lighthouse/ To Dream Again; 40:31. pirecordings.com