Miles Okazaki Performance Faculty: Jazz Guitar

Miles Okazaki is a NYC-based guitarist originally from Port Townsend, a small seaside town in Washington State. His approach to the guitar is described by the New York Times as “utterly contemporary, free from the expectations of what it means to play a guitar in a group setting — not just in jazz, but any kind.” His sideman experience over the last two decades covers a broad spectrum, from standards to experimental music (Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Stanley Turrentine, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Jonathan Finlayson, Jane Monheit, Amir ElSaffar, Darcy James Argue, and many others). He was seen prominently with Steve Coleman and Five Elements from 2009–2017. As a leader, Okazaki has released eight albums of original compositions over the last 12 years, and is currently an artist on the Pi Recordings label. Other large projects include a six-album recording of the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk for solo guitar and a published book, Fundamentals of Guitar, with Mel Bay. He taught guitar and rhythmic theory at the University of Michigan from 2013-21, joined the faculty a Princeton University in 2021, and holds degrees from Harvard University, Manhattan School of Music, and the Juilliard School.