Ron Miles, legendary Denver jazz musician, educator, and prolific recording and stage artist, has died at age 58.
His death was confirmed by his New York label, Blue Note Records. According to a local publicist, Miles’ manager and producer Hans Wendl said Miles died shortly before midnight on Tuesday, March 8 at his Denver home in the presence of his family. According to Miles’ manager, the cause was complications from polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder.
“Ron was such a gifted artist!” Blue Note president and musician Don Vas, who has recorded and played with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Ringo Starr, wrote 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 that we lost him so early, but he will live forever thanks to the music he left for us.”
Miles, a Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer who was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017, recently canceled a public appearance at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he has performed regularly in the past. He also mentioned that he had health issues in recent weeks, although he didn’t specifically talk about them, said Bret Saunders, friend, 97.3 KCBO DJ and jazz columnist for the Denver Post.
“He was a very warm, gentle and caring person around,” Saunders said on Wednesday. “And like all great artists, his personality was reflected in his music, which sounds like Colorado when you’re on the street. Wide open, lonely and vulnerable.”
Miles’ extensive career and unique progressive voice extended to coordinating the jazz program at Metropolitan University Denver alongside office colleague and jazz legend Fred Hess, Miles’ tenor saxophonist and frequent musical collaborator who died in 2018.
“(Professor) Miles has established himself as one of the most distinguished jazz musicians of our time, teaching a new generation of musicians at the university for over 34 years,” the press statement said. “His contribution to music and education is truly legendary as he left an indelible legacy.”
“So many great works of art have come out of this office over the years,” Saunders said of Miles’ home base at MSU, where Miles was also a full-time musician. “It’s unrealistic.”
Ryan Warner of Colorado Public Radio first broke the news of Miles’ death. via twitter post on Wednesday. The news also sparked an instant outpouring of love on social media for the musician, whose influence and reach was arguably unmatched in the Denver jazz scene.
Students and faculty from the Capital State, in particular, tweeted that they had lost “an incredible teacher, a brilliant friend and colleague”, according to Charles S. Lee, chief cellist of the Boulder Philharmonic.
“He was a wonderful man,” the comedian Denver wrote. Jeff Albright, former employee of the music store Twist & Shout. “He was a regular at Twist & Shout and I always looked forward to seeing him.”
Miles was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 9, 1963, and eventually moved to Denver in 1974 at the age of 11, according to his Blue Note biography. According to Denver Post articles, he attended East High School and then enrolled at the University of Denver, the University of Colorado, and the Manhattan School of Music in the 1980s, studying both classical and jazz.
Hyun Chan, The Denver Post
Ron Miles performs with Otis Taylor at the Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge in Denver on May 21, 2009. (Photo by Hyun Chang/The Denver Post)
According to Blue Note, his 35-year career has spanned a dozen albums for Prolific, Capri, Gramavision and Sterling Circle, and his brilliantly melodic crown has graced dozens more as an accompaniment to Jazz legend and Denver native Bill Frisell. ), Joshua Redman, Mercer Ellington, Madeleine Peyroux, Jason Moran, The Bad Plus and rock and jazz legend Ginger Baker.
On October 9, 2020, Miles made his debut on the iconic Blue Note label with the song “Rainbow Sign” following a Grammy nomination for his 2018 album Still Dreaming with Redman.
In a feature interview with The Denver Post, Saunders described “Rainbow Sign” as “a sprawling, overbearing 70 minutes of music that captures a myriad of complex moods lit by Miles’ lonesome, idiosyncratic tone.”
Miles was joined on this album by a band that “represents the best in jazz,” Saunders wrote. Among them were world famous names such as guitarist and friend Frizell, pianist Jason Moran, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Brian Blade.
Despite so many releases and so much accolades over the years, it was one of the highest scores of Miles’ career.
“It was pretty unexpected,” Miles told Saunders of the Blue Note signing. “We had just recorded an album (not referring to the label) and Bill (Frizell) asked me if he could play it for Don Vas (Blue Note president). A couple of days later, Don asked Bill for my number. It doesn’t look like they want to sign a contract with some old man from the middle of the country! Don is a fan of music.”
The Blue Note album was motivated by the death of Miles’ father, Faye Duny, in 2018, Miles said at the time.
“I looked back on the journey associated with his journey; let him know how much we love him and take care of him with respect and love. Even when he passed away, I was happy to get there on time.”
The record peaked at number 8 in NPR’s National Jazz Critics Poll, but Miles could have had a big career if he hadn’t decided to stay in Denver, Saunders said.
Miles is survived by his wife Kari Miles; daughter, Justice Miles; son Honor Miles; mother Jane Miles; brother Jonathan Miles; sisters Shari Miles-Cohen and Kelly West; and half-sister Vicki M. Brown.
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