The Ron Miles Quartet: Laughing Barrel (2003)

Dan McClenaghan

Senior Contributor since 2002

A lover of sounds, and the way they fit together.

Recent articles (792 total)

Published: April 2, 2003

The idea for Laughing Barrel, the title of trumpeter Ron Miles' latest CD, comes from the writings of Ralph Ellison, the great African-American author. According to Ellison, an enslaved man, when he had the urge to laugh (strangely forbidden fruit for these poor souls), would put his head in a barrel to muffle the sounds of the soul-soothing treat.

Music then—as it does now—also eased the pains of the soul. Field hollers, spirituals, the blues...jazz. And now the Ron Miles Quartet's Laughing Barrel, a perfect soul-soothing/soul energizing follow-up to last year's Heaven, with guitarist Bill Frisell.

Heaven offered low key, lyrical, serene sounds, most memorable for a couple of unlikey tunes (for a "jazz" disc): Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart" and Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain' A-Gonna Fall." Listening to these songs, you would suppose Ron Miles to be a gentle soul, centered, low key and focused. On Laughing Barrel Miles fleshes out the sound with a quartet. The trumpeter has a lyrical (there's that word again), breathy delivery on the opener, "Parade" that takes up where Heaven left off.

Miles wrote all the tunes on this recording, and the highlight for this listener is "Psychedelic Black Man," featuring some of Brandon Ross's talking wah-wah guitar that sounds like Jimi Hendrix in a laid back mood. "Jesus Love Me" whispers to life with the rhythm section, then Miles blows in, assured and ethereal at the same time, with Rudy Royston and Anthony Cox (drums and bass) churning along, leading into a tangy guitar solo and a partial deconstruction toward the free end of the spectrum. Ron Miles, who has a real affinity for playing with guitarists, dances around the electric string work.

Lyricism, serenity, some heat at times, and reactive spontaneity... Laughing Barrel is a perfect follow-up to Heaven.

Visit www.sterlingcircle.com .

Track Listing: Parade, New Breed Leader, Psychadelic Black Man, Still Small Voice, Jesus Loves Me, Sunday Best, Fairy Court

Personnel: Ron Miles, trumpet; Anthony Cox, bass; Rudy Royston, drums; Brandon Ross, guitar,

Record Label: Sterling Circle
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream