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Overview:
The Memory Palace and Middlegame were both written in 2020 for the “Stone Commissioning Series,” a project created by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. The Memory Palace (by Miles Okazaki) debuted on February 26th, 2020 at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY. Middlegame (by Dan Weiss) was planned to debut a month later at the same venue, but was postponed by the onset of the global pandemic. Although these two musicians have appeared on a number of projects within various groups, this recording documents for the first time the language that they have developed over the course of 25 years performing together as a duo.
From Dan Weiss:
Miles and I met at Manhattan School of Music in 1997 and have been collaborators since then. We’ve shared countless hours of practice, listening sessions, laughs, and chess games. He’s been a huge inspiration as a musician and as a personal friend. It’s a rare gift to have the camaraderie we have, and I look forward to many more years of friendship and musical collaboration. I also look forward to exploiting his d6 pawn when he plays the Sicilian.
When Miles and I were brainstorming titles I was striking out. I’m not good with titles. All of a sudden, “Middlegame” came to me. It was apt because we are both in the middle of our lives, we love chess, and most of all we use a lot of strategy in learning and playing these songs. Each part of Middlegame requires a different strategy. For example, during “Part II” I am thinking about playing positionally rather than using a lot of tactics. Like in a chess game, if the position is solid, improvisations can come to life.
I would like to thank Stephanie and Vivienne Ahn-Weiss, Mike Marciano, Scott Hull and Mickie Steier at Masterdisc, Samir Chatterjee, Seth Rosner and Yulun Wang, Ron Saint Germain, Linda Okazaki, John Rogers, my friends and family, my Patreon subscribers, and all of you who’ve supported and encouraged me over the years. I am truly grateful for all of you. Special thanks to David Breskin, Chelsea Hadley and The Shifting Foundation for your support and belief in me. Special thanks to John Zorn also for your support and for including me in this project.
Dan Weiss Plays Gretsch drums, Zildjian cymbals, and Vic Firth drumsticks.
From Miles Okazaki:
Dan has a great memory, much sharper than mine. Phone numbers, dates, meals, poker hands, chess openings, and of course music – I call him the “steel trap.” One thing about the duo is that it’s a kind of high risk, high reward situation. There’s nowhere to hide, but there’s also complete freedom explore any direction. In this setting I’ve learned more about music from Dan than from any other person, and I wouldn’t be half the musician that I am without our history. So in this sense, this recording is a special one for me, and a long time coming.
The “memory palace” is a mnemonic device from the ancient Greeks and Romans, where one visualizes information in imaginary spatial locations (the “palace”) in order to recall it at a later time. This piece of music might give the listener some feeling in this vein, strolling from room to room in a familiar place but encountering strange objects sitting on the couch or cooking on the stove. When we play music from memory (as on this record), we can stretch out in space, concentrating on sound, energy, and emotion.
I’d like to thank: John Zorn for commissioning this music, David Breskin and Chelsea Hadley for making the recording possible, Mike Marciano for capturing and mixing the sound, Scott Hull for the icing on the cake, Linda Okazaki for the artwork, John Rogers for the photography, and Jae Hwa Ahn for the gineger tea. For their support in the process, I’d like to thank Pavani Thagirisa, Dave Douglas, Rodney Jones, David Breskin, Seth Rosner and Yulun Wang. And of course my gratitude goes out to audiences near and far – we hope to visit you sometime soon.
On this recording Miles Okazaki plays a 1940 Gibson ES-150, a 1963 Gibson C0-Classical, and a 2018 “Pauletta” made by Daniel Slaman.
