"This music is hyperacute and superdynamic, with myriad strategies at play"
- Nate Chinen, WBGO
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.
This project was made possible by John Zorn’s “Stone Commissioning Series” and by the generous support of The Shifting Foundation.
1. The Memory Palace, Part I 00:18
2. The Memory Palace, Part II 05:46
3. The Memory Palace, Part III 03:11
4. The Memory Palace, Part IV 07:15
5. The Memory Palace, Part V 02:40
6. The Memory Palace, Part VI 06:04
7. The Memory Palace, Part VII 05:18
8. The Memory Palace, Part VIII 06:26
9. Middlegame, Part I 00:34
10. Middlegame, Part II 06:21
11. Middlegame, Part III 04:18
12. Middlegame, Part IV 05:11
13. Middlegame, Part V 12:52
14. Middlegame, Part VI 03:59
15. Middlegame, Part VII 00:51
