By Jay McKinney

Editor’s note: We have been thrilled to see all the tributes to Ron Miles, who passed away last week. We wanted to update and re-run our own profile, with Miles talking about his impactful career, in his own words.

If you’re not well versed in contemporary jazz, it may come as a surprise to find out that Denver was home to one of the genre’s heavy hitters. Ron Miles (1963-2022) was a cornetist, trumpeter and composer who was as modest as the day is long, despite his career achievements. He was quick to give credit to his fellow bandmates and his kind, soft-spoken demeanor made him seem like a character out of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Miles lived in Denver since he moved from Indiana with his family when he was 11. Since then, he established himself as a prominent figure in jazz, as well as the Denver community.

Miles developed an interest in jazz when he was in middle school, and instrumental music was still a major part of the culture. In his youth, musicians like Maynard Ferguson and Chuck Mangione could be heard on the radio and helped foster his love of the genre. His parents also spoke of the monumental impact that legends such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk and Ella Fitzgerald had on the culture and this laid the groundwork for him to become a jazz master.

His preferred instrument was the often-overlooked cornet, which is related to the trumpet but provides a mellower tone. “The cornet lets me sit in the texture of the band,” Miles says. “The cornet originally was the jazz instrument. But when Louis (Armstrong) switched to trumpet, basically everyone switched as he is the most important figure in the music.”

Miles said there have been some notable cornetists since Armstrong’s decision to switch, with some of his personal influences being Don Cherry, Olu Dara, Ruby Braff and Thad Jones.

Listen to Miles’ latest album, “Rainbow Sign,” released in October 2020, and get a true sense of what the cornet can bring to a jazz ensemble. Recorded with fellow musicians Bill Frisell (guitar), Jason Moran (piano), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Brian Blade (drums), the album has been critically successful and contains elements of pop and blues in addition to jazz.

Miles admitted he was an unabashed jazz and classical snob, but the influence of pop music found in Rainbow Sign has been profound. “In my heart there was always a love for pop music, and once I let that influence resonate, my music started to sing,” Miles said. Some of his pop music influences include artists such as Prince, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Bee Gees and Public Enemy.

When Miles wasn’t composing and performing his own music, he shared his love of jazz with younger generations as a teacher at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he has taught for nearly 30 years.

One of his colleagues at Metro, fellow jazz trumpet player Shane Endsley, described Miles as an incredibly important inspiration and mentor.

Endsley has been at Metro for just five years but he has known Miles his entire life. Endsley’s father was a professional trumpet player, music publisher and instrument maker who would collaborate with Miles frequently.

When Endsley started falling in love with jazz in high school, he took advantage of the family connection and started informally studying under Miles by going over to his house whenever he could. In addition, Endsley would often check out his gigs, noting that he was more active playing live music in those days.

Now that Endsley teaches jazz at the same university with Miles, one might say their relationship has come full circle. “I think a really thoughtful teacher is someone who is always looking to develop the personal voice of their student,” Endsley says. “I just always get the sense with him that he’s just really trying to open up creativity and inspiration for the person he’s working with, and also of course, imparting the important technical and fundamental information.”

As expected, Endsley is encouraged by Miles’ teaching style and implements that same approach in his own career as a teacher. And while his inspiration among Metro students is undeniable, Endsley says Miles was also an inspiration to Denver musicians in general.

“It’s lucky for us to have someone who’s such a world-class, innovative musician like that here in Denver,” Endsley says. “Just the fact that he’s been able to build this international career from this home base in Denver has always been something really kind of unique and cool about Ron’s career.”

When asked about his own mentors as a young musician, Miles mentioned Jerry Noonan, Neil Bridge, Dave Caffey, Ron Jolly, Fred Hess, Bruno Carr, Bruce Odland and many others as people he met in Denver before turning 20 who helped shape his career.

“The biggest common denominator is they all saw potential in me and gave me a chance without expecting anything in return,” Miles says. “Beyond that I love and respect this art form and try my darnedest to get as good as I could. Outside of my biological family, the Lord has made music, musicians and music lovers the shepherds for my life.”

That potential guided him to the Duke Performance Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Village Vanguard in New York City, two of his favorite venues. Closer to home, he cites Old Main on the CU Boulder campus as his favorite venue in Colorado.

In a city like Denver, with no particular musical identity, it can be difficult for up-and-coming musicians to attain success. Miles established himself as a prominent figure in jazz, but he acknowledges the challenges the city can pose. He says, “It’s really hard to make music in a vacuum here. You are going to be exposed to different styles and traditions and if you welcome and respect that variety, you can be happy. Fight it and you will be frustrated.”

Jay McKinney is a Colorado native who recently graduated from Metro State University of Denver with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He loves spending time outdoors, playing golf and hiking.