"In much the same way that turning over a stone can reveal a hidden, microcosmic world of insect and plant life, Generations, guitarist Miles Okazaki's sophomore album, offers a fresh, startling view into aspects of nature that sit right under our noses but tend to go unexplored. . . With one decisive swoop--the album was recorded completely live in one take--Okazaki effectively retrieves the concept from its position as a modern-art device and puts it back into the hands of the general public. He also establishes new possibilities for the role of vocals in jazz and harnesses the dynamics and range of an orchestra in a seven-piece format." --New York Press
"the joy of Generations is that while cosmic arithmetists will have a field day, there's plenty for anyone who just likes to hear great soloists burn while tumbling rhythms wash overhead." -- NPR Music, "The Year's Best New Jazz (So Far)"
"Rarely does even a minute elapse on Generations where the emphatic first impression that the composer has a rare acuity for form, rhythm and harmonic movement is not reinforced. Ditto that for Okazaki's skills as a guitarist, the most impressive of which is his somewhat paradoxical ability to be commanding and understated at the same time."
-- Downbeat Magazine
"Many young musicians make complex, cerebral music that ticks all the right boxes, in terms of technique, but can leave the listener unmoved. Not so with guitarist Okazaki, whose hour-long suite
has a delicate but bold singing quality that sits in impressive equilibrium with its elaborate compositional and improvisational arc."
-- JazzWise Magazine
"a spectacular achievement in both conception and performance. . .the music is fresh and exciting and remarkably organic. . . it is pure bliss to hear an artist striving and succeeding to stretch the boundaries of music and imagination."
-- jazzchicago.net
"It's no small feat that Generations unfolds as gracefully as a sunrise, yet also contains the tension, drama, and chaos of a raging storm. Meanwhile, Jen Shyu's wordless vocals keep the music anchored in human experience and lift it into an ethereal realm."
-- Seattle Weekly
"Okazaki has produced a second recording even more startlingly original than the first, alternating, superimposing and repurposing through-composed and improvised sections to create music that is in places as fascinating as Bach and as liberating as Coltrane."
-- Alibi
"a formidable production . . . one has to admire the composer's ability to weave the various threads of rhythm and melody, counterpoint and solos, into a coherent and, ultimately, moving statement."
-- Hartford Courant
"The true magnificence of this music owes itself to the fine musicians who . . . express the evolving music with triumphant human spirit."
-- allaboutjazz.com
"Okazaki has created his own aesthetic. Few can do that and keep you listening; he can."
-- metaljazz.com
"He achieves an expansiveness that can be restful even when there's agitation below the surface of the music. And he's one young jazz artist who knows the value of dynamic contrast."
-- Rifftides
"a tremendous group of performers . . . an amazing statement for the extremely talented Okazaki."
-- Downtown Music Gallery
"a strong effort from one of the most daring jazz musicians on the scene today."
-- O's Place Jazz Newsletter
"staggering . . . have a pair of good headphones and about 60 minutes of focused attention to spare to appreciate this one."
-- SomethingElseReviews.com
"an exceedingly skilled guitarist with a head for rhythmic convolution"
--New York Times
"an ambitious and far-reaching new talent"
--Sacremento Bee
"a deeply searching, highly emotional musician"
--allaboutjazz.com
GENERATIONS is a continuation of the acclaimed debut album, MIRROR:
"The guitarist Miles Okazaki composed all the music on Mirror, his ambitious and involving debut. He also produced the album, created its striking cover illustrations and released the thing himself. . . . Mr. Okazaki has produced a work of sustained collectivity as well as deep intricacy."
-- The New York Times "Critics Pick"
"an impressive self-released CD filled with compositions that are simultaneously complex and catchy . . . the work of a musician eager to get his career under way."
-- Time Out New York
"a dynamic work of ingenuity. This intelligent, unique recording is one of this year's best releases."
-- allaboutjazz.com
"Okazaki's self-produced debut release has all the markings of a deeply searching, highly emotional musician"
-- allaboutjazz.com
"Okazaki's striking new release Mirror showcases an ambitious and far-reaching new talent"
-- Sacramento Bee
"a stunning debut . . . as logical as Euclid and as untidy as birth"
-- Alibi
"Okazaki achieves an impressive and distinctive sound"
-- Downbeat Magazine
"an intriguing and irrefutably, captivating set"
-- ejazznews
"audaciously ambitious debut album"
-- Hot House "Winning Spins"
"a landmark in recorded guitar literature"
-- Rodney Jones
"Impressive, promising debut"
-- Village Voice Jazz Consumer's Guide
"complex, attractive music . . . compelling and powerful"
-- Earshot Jazz
"Okazaki is a well traveled guitar man that has a lot on the ball. This is a delightful ear opener"
-- Midwest Record
"On his ambitious solo debut, guitarist-composer Miles Okazaki has conceived a heady, extended work."
-- JazzTimes Magazine
"for those wanting greater breadth and depth, Okazaki's debut as a leader represents a welcome departure"
-- allaboutjazz.com
"Okazaki's music works on various levels at the same time, providing layers of rhythmic and shifting harmonies throughout. This fabulous debut disc . . . remains one of this year's best under-recognized treasures"
-- Downtown Music Gallery
"so kinetic and electrifying I could barely stay in my seat . . . In sum, Okazaki has created something new, personal, exciting and accessible despite the complexities roiling beneath the surface. Marvelous."
-- allaboutjazz.com, live show review
"Shockingly vital and very gratifying . . . at the forefront of the merger between world music elements and jazz, and the fusion here is not only successful, but points the way into possible future paths. On his first recording as leader, he certainly breaks the mould and with a vengeance. Perhaps not for the more faint-hearted, but for the rest of us, Okazaki's "Mirror" is a "Through the Looking Glass" of musical adventure."
-- jazzchicago.net
