Meet Guitarist Miles Mindlin

Meet Miles Mindlin

Miles Mindlin is an award-winning virtuoso jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader from London. He is based in New York City after completing his masters at the Manhattan School of Music on a scholarship.

He is highly in demand across the UK, the USA and Europe and has performed his own music at venues such as: Royal Albert Hall, Ornithology Jazz club, NYC Closeup, The Vortex Jazz Club (London), Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (London), Dizzy's Club (Lincoln Center, NYC), the Owl (Brooklyn), Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Aarhus Jazz Festival.

His debut album, released on the Fresh Sound Records label in November 2023 features all original compositions which draw on literature, film and music in equal measure.

He recorded his second album on January 23rd, 2026, featuring an all-star band that includes his mentor Dayna Stephens, a leading figure in modern jazz. The session also featured Jonas Esser and Simón Willson, both highly in-demand and respected musicians on the New York City scene.

The album will present Mindlin's original compositions, written over the past two years while living and working in NYC. It is set for release on Contagious Music in September 2026

Instrument:

Guitar.

Teachers and/or influences?

My first teacher was my father, himself a jazz guitarist, and I grew up completely immersed in the music. Sonny Rollins' On Impulse! was playing as I was being born. I begged him to teach me when I was around nine, and the rest is history. By eleven I was transcribing Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino and Jimmy Raney. He took me to sit in with the great Scottish jazz guitarist Jim Mullen when I was ten, which was an incredibly inspiring early experience.

I have been fortunate to work with many outstanding mentors throughout my training, including Kit Downes and Orlando le Fleming at the Royal Academy of Music, and Chris Rosenberg, Ingrid Jensen and Mike Moreno at the Manhattan School of Music. A particularly important figure for me has been the great Dayna Stephens, whose influence on my musical thinking has been profound.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I always knew I wanted to be a musician, but there were two moments that made me want to dedicate my life to it. The first was watching a video of George Benson playing "Take Five" live in Japan. It was beyond anything I thought was possible on the guitar and I wanted nothing more than to be George Benson. I must have been about 13. The second was seeing the Pat Metheny Unity Band live at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. That one will stay with me forever.

Your sound and approach to music.

I want my sound to be as honest and emotionally raw as possible. I think it takes a long time to truly allow yourself to be vulnerable as an improvising musician, and it is when you take that leap of faith that your sound is truly revealed. My new album By Water is a documentation of that moment in my life and career.

Over the past two and a half years in New York City I have been surrounded by inspiring music constantly. This past year I finally found what I want to say musically, and took the step of surrendering to it and letting that sound come out. I would describe it as a vocal, lyrical approach to the guitar that places emotional communication above everything else.

In recent years, I have been deeply influenced by late nineties singer-songwriters like Elliott Smith, whose music I began listening to as an escape from the intensity of living in New York. I want my music to offer that kind of escapism to the listener, while also carrying the deep complexity and unpredictable freedom of the tradition I have studied my whole life.

Your teaching approach

I have been inspired by many great teachers throughout my musical journey, and I am acutely aware of the transformative power of excellent teaching.

I genuinely believe that learning and teaching music can have a profound and lasting impact on a person's life, fostering improved self-esteem, academic achievement, creative thinking, and so much more.

I have taught children and adults at all levels, from complete beginners through to undergraduates, and I always try to adapt my approach to the individual in front of me. Some students need structure and clear direction, others come with strong musical goals of their own and just need support in reaching them. Whatever the situation, my aim is always to gently challenge and inspire, guiding each student towards their next steps with clarity and encouragement.

Your dream band

Working with Dayna Stephens has been a genuine bucket-list moment. He has been one of my favorite living artists for many years and I feel very fortunate that it came together. Someone I would love to collaborate with in the future is the master drummer Marcus Gilmore, my favorite musician to watch perform and someone I believe can alter the physics of any room he plays in.

Favorite venue

I have to name two venues, one in London and one in New York City. In London it is the Vortex without question. I have played there over six times as a leader and first performed there as a sideman at sixteen with Alexandra Ridout. That club has genuinely helped shape the artist I am today. A lot of my original music had its debut on that stage.

In New York, Ornithology is my home. I developed most of the music from By Water at my monthly residency there, and I love the club and the community around it. They also have amazing hummus.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

Although it isn't out yet, By Water is definitely my favorite. I think it is the most honest and vulnerable recording I have made and the collaboration with Dayna Stephens is truly special to me! The compositions really represent where I am as an artist at the moment and I can't wait for this album to be released!

The first jazz album I bought was:

Well, Sonny Rollins on Impulse! was playing as I was being born so I will always consider that my introduction to jazz! Other important records for me early on were Jimmy Raney Visits Paris Volume 1 and 2 in addition to The incredible Jazz guitar of Wes Montgomery.

Music you are listening to now:

Sonny Rollins: Our Man In Jazz (BMG France, 1962)
Charlie Haden: Nocturne (Decca Records, 2001)
Dayna Stephens: Hopium (Contagious Music, 2025)
Masabumi Kikuchi: Sunrise (ECM, 2012)
Eric Dolphy: Far Cry (Fantasy, 1962)

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

I think we are living through an incredibly exciting moment in jazz. It is a truly global art form and this feels particularly alive on the New York scene right now. There are musicians from every continent, each bringing their own unique culture and perspective, all united by a shared love and reverence for the masters of the tradition. Some of the greatest instrumentalists to ever walk the earth are alive and active today. Two that immediately come to mind are Sullivan Fortner and Marcus Gilmore .

What is in the near future?

My main focus right now is the release of my new album By Water, which comes out in September. The record was born out of a period of real growth and self-acceptance in my life. The music is built around the idea of finding softness and tenderness in hard times and hard places. It grew from a moment last summer in Bennett Park, near my apartment in Manhattan, where I felt a genuine need to create something that was a counterweight to the intensity that is always present in this city. I wanted to write something that would tilt the scales a little and bring a sense of inner peace to the listener.

The title comes from the idea that we all live and die by water. It is loosely inspired by W.R. Hearst's poem "Song of the River" and the thought that all of humanity is united by the most basic things, if we can just look beyond the differences that feel so overwhelming right now.

The music is deeply rooted in my collaboration with saxophone master Dayna Stephens, who was a huge figure in my development at the Manhattan School of Music. I wrote these compositions with his sound vividly in mind. I then refined and shaped the music at my fortnightly residency at Ornithology Jazz Club in Brooklyn, playing with the exceptional rhythm section of Jonas Esser and Simón Wilson. That group has built something really special together and I think that sense of unity and drama comes through on the record

What is your greatest fear when you perform?

My greatest fear is that a listener leaves feeling nothing. I would rather provoke a visceral negative reaction than leave someone unaffected. I believe all great art demands a response, whether positive or negative.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

"En La Orilla Del Mundo" by Martin Rojas from Charlie Haden's Nocturne.

Did you know...

I studied sanda (Chinese Boxing) for eight years as a child and teenager. I used to train almost every day. I think it helped me build resilience and a true work ethic. I had to stop to protect my hands, unfortunately, but it will always be special to me.

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