Label: Pi Recordings, 2026
Personnel - Miles Okazaki: guitar; Jon Irabagon: tenor and soprano saxophone; Anna Webber: tenor saxophone, flute; Caroline Davis: alto saxophone; Jacob Garchik: trombone; Kalia Vandever: trombone; Matt Mitchell: piano; Chris Tordini: bass; Hanna Marks: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.
Guitarist and composer Miles Okazaki’s ninth album as a leader, Boomtown Girl, showcases his progressive ideas and singular musical voice. Comprising 12 original compositions, the album derives its distinctive identity from the contributions of 10 exceptional musicians and improvisers who, while occasionally throwing a few upward jabs, always keep the collective spirit firmly in focus.
“Magic Hour” opens the album with a graceful sense of balance, its acoustic guitar-driven melody immediately palpable and its clustered harmonies intriguingly alluring. The horn players enrich the texture, helping transform the piece into a seductive, almost magical soundscape. This peaceful Threadgill-ish opening gives way to a markedly different mood on “Boomtown Girl”, which unfolds with a slow, dark-hued angularity as the horn section intertwines closely with Okazaki’s exotic guitar musings. Bassists Chris Tordini and Hanna Marks, together with drummer Dan Weiss, keep everything firmly within frame, and the piece gathers impressive improvisational momentum before arriving at an epic resolution.
Funk is not unfamiliar territory for Okazaki, who gradually shapes “Thermopolis” with crisp energy, stretching form and piquing curiosity through its interlocking parts. The groove, solidly anchored by bass and drums, is reinforced by the motivic interplay of Okazaki and pianist Matt Mitchell, inviting the horns to enter vibrantly in unison. Saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Caroline Davis engage in fleet-footed solo exchanges with Okazaki before the piece eases its intensity midway, embracing a more abstract impressionism. Circling in and out of focus, the soloists return with renewed force for a vigorous finale.
Trombonists Kalia Vandever and Jacob Garchik are granted ample improvisational space on “Diamondville” and “Bighorn”, respectively. The former is a poignant, atmospheric rubato ballad, while the latter is an odd-metered blowout built around a looping piano-guitar riff (giving its legato flow), fragmented drumming, and Irabagon’s multiphonic wails and moans on soprano saxophone.
Loose yet fluid, “Hole in the Wall” sparkles with guitar harmonics and pointillistic textures before opening into bluesy and funky terrain under a septuple meter. Saxophonist Anna Webber improvises with measured steps yet complete authority. “Devils Tower”, touting an outlandish fusion of modern creative jazz and alternative rock, demonstrates remarkable control of tempo, counterpoint, and texture. Like all the other pieces, it functions above all as a collective statement, despite the arresting solos by Davis and Okazaki.
As an original musical thinker, Okazaki continues to defy both established conventions and passing trends with something unmistakably his own. His hip phrasing and superb compositional craft are fully on display. The expertly sequenced material flows with irresistible momentum and quirky moods, offering layer upon layer of intrigue and wonder.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Magic Hour ► 02 - Boomtown Girl ► 03 - Thermopolis ► 07 - Bighorn