Box in a Box considers the labors of Raven, a trickster from the native peoples of the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest. Different people will hear the playful rhythm of this song differently: none are wrong, but none are completely right, either. The confusion over this teaches some lessons about context and ways of knowing. In one story, he wears a hat that is half red and half black, causing two neighbors to argue about its true color. Mischief is inspired by the African deity Eshu (Eleguá in Cuba and Exu in Brazil, honored at the opening of ceremonies, rituals, performances). This song is an introduction, inviting the audience to follow a winding, slippery path into the wilderness. About the music: Kudzu is a type of rapidly growing vine that covers structures and trees, creating the giant alien leaf sculptures often seen on the side of the highway. The listener can get a sense of the trickster narratives by following the rhythms, which have many twists and turns and are not always what they seem to be. My main concern was that the musicians focus on testing the limits of each composition through improvisation, with the sensibility of storytelling in mind. As I began my research, I looked for themes that seemed musical in nature, translating them into compositions for quartet. Because these ideas resonate with my approach to music-making, it occurred to me that the trickster could be a fertile source for a new book of compositions. They exist outside of the mainstream, working from the margins, creating movement across the borders. Tricksters are creative in nature, using mischief and magic to disrupt the state of things, breaking taboos and conventions, opening doorways. “We constantly distinguish – right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and dead – and in every case trickster will cross the line and confuse the distinction.” – Lewis Hyde, Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art The trickster figure is an ancient archetype in human folklore. Recorded January 14-15, 2016 by Joe Marciano and Max Ross and mastered by Michael Marciano at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, NY Mixed by Anthony Tidd at TidbiT Sonos, Philadelphia, PA Produced by Miles Okazaki Executive Producers: Seth Rosner, Yulun Wang, and M-Base Concepts, Inc. All compositions by Miles Okazaki © ℗ 2017 Salish Sea Music, SESAC

Miles okazaki trickster