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The Ron Miles Quartet: Laughing Barrel
ByOn Laughing Barrel Miles expands his palette by two players and composes some of the most hook-filled melodies and demanding juxtapositions in recent memory. Opting again for guitar rather than piano as a rhythm instrument, Miles picks the very fine Brandon Ross for the job. Ross provided the provocative guitar heard on Cassandra Wilson’s ground-breaking Blue Light Until Dawn (Blue Note 81357, 1993) and New Moon Daughter (Blue Note 32861, 1995). The disc begins with one of Miles’s trademark melodies on "Parade" that is as simple as clear water and fresh as spring. Straightforward and pretty, Miles teases the listener for what is to come. "New Breed Leader" begins with a swinging but edgy line that explodes into some of the best free guitar-drums jazz this side of James Blood Ulmer and Elvin Jones. The transition is gradual, but once there, the "pots on, gas on high."
The remainder of the septet of songs falls somewhere between the above two extremes. "Psychedelic Black Man" as a light Isaac Hayes groove established with Ross’s wahed guitar. "Still Small Voice" and "Jesus Loves Me" are delicate ballads for which Miles has become expert in composing and playing. This is a marvelous, highly recommended disc.
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Track Listing
Parade; New Breed Leader; Psychedelic Black Man; Still Small Voice; Jesus Loves Me; Sunday Best; Fairy Court. (Total Time 60:52).
Personnel
Ron Miles-Trumpet; Anthony Cox: Bass; Brandon Ross: Guitar; Rudy Royston: Drums.
Album information
Title: Laughing Barrel | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Sterling Circle