Tune in Wednesday evening from 6-9 PM to hear this week's edition of the Musician's Show, where we will be joined by guitarist, composer, educator, and theorist Miles Okazaki. Okazaki grew up in Port Townsend, Washington, and at a young age, developed an interest in music and, in particular, playing guitar. He was first exposed to recordings of Charlie Christian at age 12, and was inspired to learn to improvise. Early expressive tendencies and fascination with music led Okazaki to obtain degrees from Harvard University, Manhattan School of Music, and The Juilliard School, and continue to drive his interests further into private studies of composition, Carnatic percussion, and counterpoint. Okazaki moved to New York City in 1997 and studied guitar with Rodney Jones. His first gig was with Stanley Turrentine, since, he has toured and recorded with Jane Monheit, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Kenny Barron, Jonathan Finlayson, and Dan Weiss. Okazaki has released three albums of his own – Mirror (2006), Generations (2009), and Figurations (2012) – to critical acclaim. His performances and original compositions are highly rhythmic, intricate, and creative. As an educator, he has taught at the Banff Institute, The New School, Queens College, The Juilliard School, Amsterdam Conservatory, and many other institutions. He has also synthesized music with his early passion for visual art in his theoretical pursuits, creating geometric interpretations of sound and pitch relation. Okazaki is a master of music at many levels and in many dimensions, and has be recognized as such with multiple awards and grants, which include 2nd place in the Monk Guitar Competition, the Jazz Gallery and Jerome Foundations Residency Commission, and, recently, the Rockefeller Brother’s Fund Artist Residency. Be sure to tune in this Wednesday night!
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 - 6:00pm to 9:00pm