Ron Miles
Coordinator of Jazz Studies
Musician in Residence
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Contact Area Classes |
Denver trumpeter Ron Miles' resume includes time with Bill Frisell, Don Byron, the Ellington Orchestra, and Fred Hess' Boulder Creative Music Ensemble. Besides being solicited all over the world for his unique sound, Ron is a staple of the Denver jazz scene and his recent releases as band leader show off his skills as a composer and arranger as well as a "phenomenally gifted trumpeter" (Bill Milkowski).
A resident of Denver since he was 11, he began playing the trumpet seriously in junior high school and studied music at the University of Denver (1981-1985) and the Manhattan School of Music (1986). Miles says that living in Denver has given him an appreciation for a broad array of musical styles that he might not have acquired elsewhere. "Country and Western music, Latin, jazz, and rock are all popular here, so you find yourself trying out a lot of ideas with other musicians and gaining a healthy respect for the music," he explains.
Ron Miles was widely recognized as a musical director and arranger with the release of Ginger Baker's Coward of the County (Atlantic 1999). His compositions anchor that record and highlight the varied influences from which Ron draws inspiration. Hailed as an inventive composer and gifted trumpeter on his solo releases, Ron cruised through the 1990s with a series of well-received releases on Gramavision (My Cruel Heart, Woman's Day) and Capri (Witness, Ron Miles Trio).
In 2002 Ron slowed it down for a quiet, intimate recording with friend and master jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Heaven again showcases Ron's talent as an arranger, particularly on Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" and Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." According to Bill Frisell, "What is so exciting about Ron is that he really has his own voice. It seems like everything that is going on right now is either very conservative or it rejects everything. Ron has found a way to include everything and not reject things, and still be his own person." Miles said of his playing with Bill, "I think we share a fondness for striking melody, patience and the importance of individual timbre."
Ron's newest record from Sterling Circle is Laughing Barrel - a quartet recording featuring 7 of Ron's original tunes.
More Ron Miles Quotes
"Ron Miles has a breathy, very lyrical approach to the trumpet; straightforward melodies that seem to cry out for words."
--Dan McClenaghan, allaboutjazz.com
"Miles continues to challenge himself...highly regarded by those in the know for his remarkable combination of precision, emotional force, technical agility and just plain fearlessness."
--Brad Weissman, The Colorado Daily
"Superimposing and hard-cutting between disparate times, genres, energies and moods, Miles proves himself a talented arranger with an ear for detail."
--John Corbett, DownBeat
"Trumpeter Ron Miles plays in the spirit of Davis' '70s work, using drones, dissonance, and distortion to stake his claim in jazz's increasingly unclear idiom."
--Christopher Porter, Washington City Paper
"What is so exciting about Ron is that he really has his own voice, and that is one of the most important things."
--Bill Frisell
