Jazz Articles

Ron Miles: Stone/Blossom

by Matthew Miller
April 11, 2007

It's no secret why Ron Miles is one of the most highly regarded trumpeters of his generation. His rich, burnished tone and supple lyricism have won over Bill Frisell and Wayne Horvitz--two of jazz's leading aesthetic visionaries--along with fans who appreciate understatement, whispered dissonance, wry humor. All of these attributes can be found on Stone/Blossom, the Denver-based trumpeter's latest effort, a collection that finds Miles walking the line between rock and jazz, Motown and country, threading these disparate styles together ...

Ron Miles: Stone / Blossom

by Mark Corroto
November 2, 2006

Ron Miles' trumpet has such an appealing tone that I'd eagerly listen to him play the songs of Johnny Cash, Lee Morgan, or Earth, Wind and Fire. His directions in music, like those of his close friend Bill Frisell, have been forged from more than just the jazz canon.

Stone/Blossom is equal parts jazz, 1970s love rock and Americana. The Denver-based artist has graced the bands of Bill Frisell, Matt Wilson, Don Byron, and Denver's well-kept secret, Fred ...

The Ron Miles Quartet: Laughing Barrel

by Dan McClenaghan
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 ...

The Ron Miles Quartet: Laughing Barrel

by C. Michael Bailey
April 2, 2003

Trumpeter Ron Miles is a bit of jazz anomaly, in that he has taken to shunning the urban genres of jazz. His recent releases are all about wide-open spaces and Americana. Nowhere is this better heard than on his Sterling Circle debut, Heaven (Sterling Circle SCS 151, 2002). On this record from last year, Miles dueted with guitarist Bill Frisell, giving a quaint, homespun touch to original efforts as well as earthen treatments of Dylan’s "A Hard Rain’s A gonna ...

Ron Miles Quartet: Laughing Barrel

by Mark Corroto
March 10, 2003

The concept of jazz has seemingly always been an urban phenomenon. From Louis Armstrong’s move to Chicago to the post-war Charlie Parker revolution--and more recently, Wynton Marsalis’ uptown vs. downtown music debate--jazz concepts and jazz sounds have traditionally gravitated toward cities.

But inside jazz itself, traditions are continuously rewritten. As the music has spread across the non-urban country, sometimes through academia, the metropolitan effect is felt less and the diversity of folk, rock, Latin, Asian, and well, ...

Ron Miles: Heaven

by Mark Corroto
June 2, 2002

You would not typically pair a trumpeter and guitarist in a jazz setting. Come to think of it, they aren’t typically paired in any other musical setting. Maybe that’s why these duets by Ron Miles and Bill Frisell are so refreshing.

Heaven is trumpeter Ron Miles’ fourth release as a leader and third collaboration with guitarist Bill Frisell. Miles joined Frisell on his recording Quartet from 1996 and the guitarist sat in on Miles’ 1997 Gramavision outing ...

Ron Miles: Heaven

by C. Michael Bailey
June 1, 2002

The intimacy of simplicity.

Former Mercer Ellington Orchestra trumpeter Ron Miles joins frequent collaborator Bill Frisell for a spare and beautiful duet outing. Frisell performs mostly on acoustic guitar and very much in a comping, supporting roll. The collection therein consists of equal parts cover tunes and originals. There is a very pastoral or rural tone to Miles' playing. I do not know if I would classify his original compositions as jazz. This music is carefully distilled to a bare ...

Ron Miles: Heaven

by Dan McClenaghan
May 20, 2002

Simply put: Trumpet and guitar. Horn man Ron Miles tries a duet this time out, and he picked his partner well: the high-profile and hugely talented Bill Frisell Heaven is a delicately rendered set of songs, highlighting the strengths of the two players. Ron Miles has a breathy, very lyrical approach to the trumpet; his six originals here have memorable, straightforward melodies that seem to cry out for words.Bill Frisell--whom Miles has worked with--is a perfect ...