Emma-Jean Thackray tonight at EFG London Jazz Festival 2020

Emma-Jean recently released “Um Yang” on the Night Dreamer Records. The album was recorded and cut direct-to-disk at Artone Studio in Haarlem, Holland, the same way as the previous Night Dreamer releases. The two-track project features Thackray on trumpet, vocals and percussion, alongside Soweto Kinch on sax, Lyle Barton (Golden Mean) on rhodes, Ben Kelly (Paradox Ensemble) on sousaphone, Dwayne Kilvington (Wonky Logic, Steam Down, Bryony Jarman Pinto) on percussion, Crispin Robinson (Galliano) on congas, and Dougal Taylor (Vels Trio) on drums.

She also releases two new remixes. First is her take on Lady Blackbird’s debut single, a cover of Nina Simone’s powerful civil rights anthem “Blackbird”. Lady Blackbird (aka Marley Munroe) is Los Angeles-based singer called already a revelatory new voice on the global jazz scene. “Blackbird” is her first single under this moniker. It’s a stirring interpretation of Nina Simone’s powerful civil rights anthem from a singer’s forthcoming debut album “Black Acid Soul”. 

The second remix is one of her own songs “Open”, which originally appeared on Emma’s recent EP “Rain Dance” released on her own Movementt imprint. The remix features LA rapper Blu from the renowned group Blu & Exile. 

Emma-Jean Thackray play tonight at EFG London Jazz Festival 2020

Listen below to Emma-Jean Thackray version of Wayne Shorter’s compositions, “Speak No Evil” and “Night Dreamer” as a “Speak No Evil (Night Dreamer)”: