Ronald Glen Miles (May 9, 1963 – March 8, 2022) was an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, and composer. He recorded for the labels Prolific (1986),

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...

(1990), and

Gramavision Gramavision Records is an American record label founded in 1979. Since 1994 it has been a subsidiary of Rykodisc. The label's music is largely jazz, blues and folk oriented but has touched on many other styles and genres. In 1979, Jonathan F.P. ...

. His final album, ''

Rainbow Sign ''Rainbow Sign'' is a studio album from American jazz musician Ron Miles, it is his first album on a major label, Blue Note Records, released on October 9, 2020. It has received positive reviews from critics. It is also his final studio album, r ...

'', was his first on the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

label.

Early life

Miles was born in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, on May 9, 1963. His parents, Fay Downey Miles and Jane Miles worked for the federal civil service. The family relocated to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, when he was eleven, partly because his parents thought the mountain climate would be better for his

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

. He began learning the trumpet during this time at a summer music program. He attended

Denver East High School East High School is a historical public high school located in the City Park neighborhood on the east side of Denver, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Denver Public Schools system, and is one of four original high schools in Denver. The ...

, where he played in its

jazz combo A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

together with

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He has also earned ...

. After graduating, Miles initially studied

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

. However, he eventually switched his major to music and transferred to the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

, where he first met

Fred Hess Fred Hess (September 3, 1944, Abington, Pennsylvania – October 27, 2018) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hess was raised in New Jersey and studied at Trenton State College. His early experiences include studies with saxophonist Phil W ...

. Miles won a classical competition at the International Brass Clinic hosted by

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...

. This enabled him to earn a scholarship to the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he obtained a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

Career

Miles's debut album, ''Distance for Safety'', was released in 1987. Two years later, he distributed his second album titled ''Witness''. He toured with the

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

Orchestra during this time and went to Italy with ''Sophisticated Ladies'' in 1992. He also received national recognition playing with the

Duke Ellington Orchestra Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and Music of Africa, Africa ...

, and the

Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...

Quartet. His third album, ''My Cruel Heart'' (1996), saw him delve into his unique flair of modern creative jazz combined with rock influences. He also collaborated with

that year on the latter's album ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations o ...

''. The two teamed up again the following year on Miles's album ''Woman's Day'', which was influenced by

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

and

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

. Miles recorded a total of twelve solo albums throughout his 35-year career. His final album, ''

'', was released in 2020 and was his first with

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

. He wrote the album as a tribute to his father, who died in 2018, and recorded it with Frisell (guitar),

Jason Moran Jason Moran may refer to: * Jason Moran (criminal) (1967–2003), Australian mobster * Jason Moran (musician) Jason Moran (born January 21, 1975) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator involved in multimedia art and theatrical inst ...

(piano), Thomas Morgan (bass), and

Brian Blade Brian Blade (born July 25, 1970) is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter. Early life Blade was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. The first music he experienced was gospel and songs of praise at ...

(drums). The quintet – which started performing together in 2016 – later became the first ensemble to play in front of an audience at the

Village Vanguard The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jazz ...

after 18 months of lockdown during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Miles became one of Denver's most prominent jazz musicians, but only started receiving national acclaim towards the end of his career. Bret Saunders, a jazz columnist for ''

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 ...

'' and a friend of Miles, surmised that he could have had a more renowned career had he not decided to remain in Denver. Miles joined the

Metropolitan State University of Denver Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado. MSU Denver is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver, in d ...

during the late 1990s. He taught there as a professor of music, and eventually became director of its Jazz Studies program.

Personal life

Miles was married to Kari until his death. Together, they had two children: Justice and Honor. Miles died on the evening of March 8, 2022, at his home in Denver. He was 58, and suffered from

polycythemia vera Polycythemia vera is an uncommon myeloproliferative neoplasm (a type of chronic leukemia) in which the bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. It may also result in the overproduction of white blood cells and platelets. Most of the health ...

— a rare blood cancer — prior to his death.

Discography

As leader

* ''Distance for Safety'' (Prolific, 1987) * ''Witness'' (

, 1989) * ''My Cruel Heart'' (

, 1996) * ''Women's Day'' (Gramavision, 1997) * ''Ron Miles Trio'' (

, 2000) * ''

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

'' (Sterling Circle, 2002) – recorded in 2001 * ''Laughing Barrel'' (Sterling Circle, 2003) * ''Stone / Blossom'' (Sterling Circle, 2006) CDref name=discography/> * ''

Quiver A quiver is a container for holding arrows, bolts, ammo, projectiles, darts, or javelins. It can be carried on an archer's body, the bow, or the ground, depending on the type of shooting and the archer's personal preference. Quivers were trad ...

'' (

Yellowbird The yellow warbler (''Setophaga petechia'') is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus ''Setophaga'', breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern S ...

, 2012) – recorded in 2011 * '' Circuit Rider'' (Yellowbird, 2014) – recorded in 2013 * ''I Am a Man'' (Yellowbird, 2017) – recorded in 2016 * ''

'' (

, 2020) – recorded in 2019

As sideman

With

* 1996: ''

'' (

Nonesuch __NOTOC__ Nonesuch may refer to: Plants * ''Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower * ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower Places and structures *Nonesuch, Kentucky *Nonesuch Island, Bermuda *Nonesuch Mine, Michigan *Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...

) * 1999: ''

The Sweetest Punch ''The Sweetest Punch'' is a 1999 album by Bill Frisell, released as a companion to Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach's 1998 album ''Painted from Memory''. Many of the earlier album's songs are featured with new arrangements by Frisell, mostly ...

'' (Decca, 1999) with

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

* 2001: '' Blues Dream'' (Nonesuch) * 2007: '' Floratone'' (Blue Note) with Floratone * 2008: ''

History, Mystery ''History, Mystery'' is the 20th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 2008.

'' (Nonesuch) * 2012: '' Floratone II'' (Savoy Jazz) with Floratone With

* 2002: ''The Long and Short of It'' (Tapestry) * 2004: ''Crossed Paths'' (Tapestry) * 2006: ''How Bout' Now'' (Tapestry) * 2007: ''In the Grotto'' (Alison) * 2008: ''Single Moment'' (Alison) With others * 1999: Ginger Baker and the DJQ2O, ''

Coward of the County "Coward of the County" is a song written by Roger Bowling and Billy Edd Wheeler, and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Rogers. The song was released in November 1979 as the second single from Rogers' multi-platinum album ''Kenny''. ...

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

) * 2003:

Joe Henry Joseph Lee Henry (born December 2, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer. He has released 15 studio albums and produced multiple recordings for other artists, including three Grammy Award-winning albums. Early life H ...

, '' Tiny Voices'' (

ANTI- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

) * 2006:

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

, ''Way Out East'' (Songlines) * 2007: Jason Steele, ''Some Wonderful Moment'' (ears&eyes) * 2008: Rich Lamb, ''Music Along the Way'' (Rich Lamb) * 2009:

Ben Goldberg Ben Goldberg is an American clarinet player and composer. Career In the early 1990s, Ben Goldberg performed alongside electric bassist Dan Seamans and percussionist Kenny Wollesen as the New Klezmer Trio. They went on to produce three albums an ...

, ''Go Home'' (BAG Production) * 2009: Hashem Assadullahi, Strange Neighbor (8Bells) * 2013: Aakash Mittal, Ocean (self) * 2012: Hashem Assadullahi, Pieces (OA2) * 2015: Whirlpool, ''Dancing on the Inside'' (ears&eyes) * 2017:

, ''BANGS'' (Yes Records) * 2017: Matt Wilson, Honey & Salt (Palmetto) * 2018:

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman ...

, '' Still Dreaming'' (Nonesuch) * 2022: Charles Rumback ''Seven Bridges''

References

External links

Ron Miles: Singing Through The Horn. NPR March 19, 2009

Cornet Player Ron Miles Embraces His Pop Influences On 'Rainbow Sign'. WYPR November 4, 2020
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Ron 1963 births 2022 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century trumpeters 21st-century trumpeters Musicians from Indianapolis Musicians from Denver University of Denver alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni Manhattan School of Music alumni American male trumpeters American jazz cornetists American male jazz composers American jazz composers African-American jazz composers Rykodisc artists Gramavision Records artists Blue Note Records artists Deaths from blood cancer Deaths from cancer in Colorado