Ron Miles — the legendary Denver-based jazz musician, educator and prolific recording and stage artist — has died at 58.
His death was confirmed by his label, New York-based Blue Note Records. According to a publicist there, Miles’ manager and producer Hans Wendl said that Miles died shortly before midnight on Tuesday, March 8 at his home in Denver in the presence of family. The cause was complications from Polycythemia Vera, a rare blood disorder, Miles’ manager said.
Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio, via a Twitter post, broke the news of Miles’ death on Wednesday.
“Ron was such a gifted artist!” wrote Blue Note president and musician Don Was, who has recorded and played with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Ringo Starr, in an email to The Denver Post. “He was a sweet, soulful man whose character was reflected in every exquisite note he played. We are heartbroken to lose him so soon, but he will live forever through the music he’s left behind for us.”
Miles, a Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer, had recently canceled a public performance at Knoxville, Tenn.’s Big Ears Festival, which he played regularly in the past. He also said he was having health problems in recent weeks, though he wasn’t specific about them, said Bret Saunders, a friend, 97.3 KCBO DJ and Denver Post jazz columnist.
“He was a really warm, gentle, caring presence to be around,” Saunders said Wednesday. “And like all great artists, his persona was reflected through his music, which sounded like Colorado when you’re outside. Wide-open, lonely and vulnerable.”
Miles’ expansive career and singular, progressive voice extended to coordinating the jazz program at Metropolitan State University of Denver, along with office-mate and jazz legend Fred Hess, a tenor saxophonist and frequent musical collaborator who died in 2018.
“Miles established himself as one of today’s most prominent jazz musicians all while teaching the next generation of musicians at the University for more than 34 years,” Metropolitan State University officials wrote in a press statement. “His music and educational contributions are truly legendary as he has left a lasting legacy.”
“So much great art came out of that office over the years,” Saunders said of Miles’ MSU home base, where Miles was also a musician-in-residence. “It’s unreal.”
The news also brought an instant outpouring of social media love for Miles, whose influence and reach were arguably unparalleled in Denver’s jazz scene. Students and faculty from Metropolitan State, in particular, wrote on Twitter that they lost “an incredible teacher, a brilliant friend and colleague,” according to Charles C. Lee, principal cellist for the Boulder Philharmonic.
“He was a wonderful man,” wrote Denver comic Jeff Albright, a former Twist & Shout record store employee. “He was a regular at Twist & Shout and I always looked forward to him coming in.”
Miles was born in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 9, 1963, eventually moving to Denver in 1974 at the age of 11, according to his Blue Note biography. He went to East High School before attending the University of Denver and the Manhattan School of Music in the 1980s, according to Denver Post articles.
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
Ron Miles performs with Otis Taylor at Dazzle restaurant and lounge in Denver on May 21, 2009. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
His 35-year recording career included music for the Prolific, Capri, Gramavision, and Sterling Circle labels, Blue Note said, and his brilliantly melodic coronet has graced the work of Bill Frisell (a jazz legend and Denver native), Joshua Redman, Mercer Ellington, Madeleine Peyroux, Jason Moran, the Bad Plus and rock/jazz legend Ginger Baker.
On Oct. 9, 2020, Miles debuted on the iconic Blue Note label with “Rainbow Sign,” following a Grammy nomination for his album with Redman, 2018’s “Still Dreaming.”
In a feature interview for The Denver Post, Saunders described “Rainbow Sign” as “a sprawling, magisterial 70 minutes of music that captures numerous complex moods, illuminated by Miles’ lonesome, singular tone.”
Miles was joined on that album by a group that “represents the finest in jazz,” Saunders wrote. That included internationally known names such as guitarist and friend Frisell, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Brian Blade.
Despite so many releases and so much praise over the years, it was one of Miles’ highest career points.
“It was pretty surprising,” Miles told Saunders about the Blue Note signing. “We just made the album (without a label in mind) and Bill (Frisell) asked me if he could play it for Don Was (Blue Note president.) A couple of days later, Don asked Bill for my number. It’s not like they were looking to sign some old guy from the middle of the country! Don is a fan of music.”
The Blue Note album was motivated by the 2018 death of Miles’ father, Fay Dooney, Miles said at the time.
“I was looking back on the journey of dealing with his journey; letting him know how much he was loved by us, and to take care of him in a respectful, loving way. Even when he passed, I was happy to get there on time.”
The record reached No. 8 on NPR’s national jazz critics’ poll, but Miles could have had a bigger career if he hadn’t chosen to stay in Denver, Saunders said.
Miles is survived by his wife, Kari Miles; daughter Justice Miles; son Honor Miles; mother Jane Miles; brother Johnathan Miles; sisters Shari Miles-Cohen and Kelly West; and half-sister Vicki M. Brown.
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.
For all the latest Entertainment News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
