Trickster, a four-piece band led by guitarist Miles Okazaki, is best understood in both cerebral and visceral terms,” writes Nate Chinen. “On the one hand, it’s a delivery system for some proudly intricate and idiosyncratic compositions, the byproduct of a deeply rigorous mind. On the other hand, it’s a go-for-broke quartet, capable of shifting the ground underfoot without ever losing its balance.”

Trickster was formed in 2015 as a side project while Miles Okazaki, Anthony Tidd, and Sean Rickman were working as the rhythm section for Steve Coleman and Five Elements. The group has released four albums of compositions by Miles Okazaki on Pi Recordings (Trickster, The Sky Below, Trickster’s Dream and Thisness).

Robin D.G. Kelley’s liner notes to Thisness (2022) introduce the music as “convulsive beauty, propulsive rhythm, elusive meaning…a spontaneous and unpredictable work of art.”

Miles Okazaki is a NYC-based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside…