Michele Thomas Music

The daughter of a preacher, Chicago singer Michele Thomas brings an irresistible gospel-soul warmth to jazz.
Michele’s performances, like her music itself, are deep and emotional - blending genres of jazz and soul together with elements of folk and using her voice and songwriting to stir something deeper within people.  These performances hearken back to the sensibility of Sarah Vaughan, the atmospheric arrangements of Cassandra Wilson and fervent lyricism of Bill Withers.

Jazz singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and educator Michele Thomas is a suave innovator. With silken grace she eases in her formative background in gospel, and her love of R&B, soul, and neo-soul, into a musical language that shows a dedication and a passion for jazz, spanning all of its defining eras. Michele’s restless creativity reflects jazz’s improvisatory spirit—for jazz, like life, is a journey and not a destination.

Michele has garnered favorable comparisons to powerful African-American singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dianne Reeves, Cassandra Wilson, and Anita Baker, but she also draws inspiration from composer-artists like Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, James Taylor, and Sting. She has earned the praise of Warner Bros. recording artist Kevin Mahogany, and Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Yusef Lateef who commented, “(She) has her own vocal sound, which is beautiful by the Grace of God.”

Since her ascent on the Midwest scene, Michele has been profiled in Chicago Jazz Magazine, and interviewed as part of an upcoming documentary called From West to East: The Return of An Interconnected Planet from director Luca Mercuri, who has worked in various contexts on movies such as Mad Max: Fury Road, Fast Five, The Mechanic, and Faster, among others. In May 2021, she was sought out to be on a panel with alongside other noted jazz musicians and educators for Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s series: “Soundpost: Beyond The Page.”

Thomas rounded up an A-list cast of Chicago musicians for her much-anticipated third album The Assumption (released in March of 2022), which casts a light on topics of race, sexism and authority yet, ultimately, celebrates the beauty of life.

Not only does it showcase Michele’s fine songcraft, it also full embraces who she is and where she comes from. It’s a bold synthesis of styles incorporating her gospel roots, her love of folk and neo-soul, and even a passion for rock. Though it siphons from a broad array of stylistic sources, it just feels like the spirit of jazz—an improvisatory music always shapeshifting; never stagnant.

“Thomas is clearly a storied musician, imbibing a host of influences that are resplendently displayed…” ~ Kartik Sundar, Find No Enemy

“Chicago-based singer compels attention through her edgy and intense delivery of standards, lesser-known songs and originals” ~ Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal

Stage plot and tech rider provided upon request.