Picture Credit: Michael Portlock
Mercury Prize nominated producer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Emma-Jean Thackray pays homage to one of jazz’s most influential figures with Dear Miles: A Love Letter, a deeply personal project celebrating the musical legacy and fearless creativity of Miles Davis.
Released through her own Movementt label, the record is far more than a collection of reinterpretations. Instead, Thackray explores the intriguing question of what Miles Davis might be creating today, imagining his pioneering approach to jazz through the sounds of jungle, drum and bass, techno and contemporary electronic music.
The idea took shape following an invitation to perform at Ronnie Scott’s earlier this year, prompting two months of studio experimentation and a renewed relationship with the trumpet. The result captures the adventurous spirit that defined Davis’s career while remaining firmly rooted in Thackray’s own distinctive musical identity.
Reflecting on her introduction to Davis, Thackray recalls stumbling across his interpretation of Concerto de Aranjuez while learning a brass band solo, unaware at the time of the musical giant she had discovered. That chance encounter would eventually develop into a lifelong creative influence.
Following the acclaim surrounding her album Weirdo, Thackray continues to blur the boundaries between jazz, improvisation and club culture. Her interpretation of Davis’s classic “Tutu”, released on 6 November, offers a first glimpse into this latest musical exploration.
Dear Miles: A Love Letter is available now on limited-edition vinyl, with the first 1,000 copies individually numbered and pressed on neon-green wax with gold foil detailing. A full digital release follows on 4 December.
The project will also be showcased at the EFG London Jazz Festival on 13 November, bringing Thackray’s celebration of Miles Davis to a London audience.
Rather than simply revisiting the past, Dear Miles: A Love Letter embraces the possibilities of what might have come next, a fitting tribute to an artist who never stopped pushing music forward.
