Dear Miles: A Love Letter

Emma-Jean Thackray

May 22, 2026

Jazz / Electronic / Free Jazz / Nu Jazz

Dear Miles, Our first encounter was an accident. I was learning a brass band solo piece, Concerto de Aranjuez, and found your version on an illegal download site. “Who is this Miles Davis guy?”. No-one in my provincial orbit knew your name, so I assumed you were just some guy, and that I discovered you. After that I looked for you in CD shops, piecing together bits of pocket money to buy your work, and playing it on the Discman in my hoodie on the long walk home. You pushed boundaries, didn’t let anyone tell you what to do, but followed your own ear. Some people dug it, some people took a minute, some people never caught up. The most important thing was your own artistic integrity because that was everything to you, and I took that to heart. What would you be doing today if you were still here? I truly have no idea, but I know you wouldn’t be standing still. Would you make the electric period actually electronic? Would there be dance music textures? Drum and Bass, Jungle, or Techno underpinning improvisation? Blending modern groove with jazz harmony? Drum machines together with live instruments? Would you revisit your classic tunes and make them anew with the ear of a beat maker?