Miles Davis was a pioneer for Afro-Cuban percussion in his late ’60s/early ’70s live shows with authentic timbale and conga playing by Guillermo Franco. Davis’ 1970s electric albums, including Get Up With It, would hear Munyungo Jackson on percussion and congas. This Thursday —  Davis’ spirit is conjured by a small symphony of rhythm featuring Munyungo and important Davis’ collaborators: EMMY and GRAMMY AWARD WINNING producer/drummer Vince Wilburn, Jr. (Miles Davis’ nephew, drums), Daryl Jones (bass), Jean-Paul Bourelly (guitar), and Robert Irving III (keys).

Two generations of players revisit repertoire from Miles Davis’ electric period and pay homage to The Chief, reimagining the framework for modern jazz improvisation. Davis’ contemporaries join some of today’s most exciting aficionados of Miles Davis: Greg Spero (keys), Rasaki Aladokun (percussion), Antoine Roney (saxophone), Jason Kibler AKA DJ Logic (turntable), and Keyon Harrold (trumpet).

More than a few connections tether the trumpet playing of Keyon Harrold to the long shadow of Davis’ influence. Both born in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the first bands Davis played in was led by Harrold’s cousin, Eddie Randle. You’ll recognize Harrold’s trumpet tone on the film soundtrack for Miles Ahead (2015), while his own career has stretched fluidly across jazz, hip-hop, soul, and film music. In May, Harrold’s sold-out debut headline at Carnegie Hall honored Davis, 65 years after Miles himself took that same stage at the height of his first great quintet, for a concert that has since become part of jazz history.

Embodying Davis for Miles Ahead, Harrold learned more than how to play the notes. “It’s about the music speaking,” he says. “The music has to have a very specific intention, whether it’s to give you something heart-wrenching or to give you something exciting. And as artists, we have a platform to provide some uplift for people, because some people can’t do it for themselves.”