In Memoriam: Rainbow Signs
Ron Miles: Jazz Cornetist, Teacher, Great Friend, Soulful Man
By John Arnold
MSU Denver RED
Legendary jazz musician Ron Miles, one of the finest improvisers and composers of his generation and musician-in-residence at Metropolitan State University of Denver, died in March at age 58. The cause was complications from a rare blood disorder.
The Grammy-nominated trumpeter and cornetist was one of the most prominent musicians in Denver’s jazz scene, and had deep roots in Park Hill. But his talent and influence extended far beyond the Mile High City.
“He was simply a great player. Not just here, but nationally and internationally,” said Norman Provizer, a political science professor emeritus at MSU Denver and former jazz critic for the Rocky Mountain News.
Beyond his musical gifts, Miles leaves behind a legacy of kindness, modesty and a desire to help others, including the students he mentored as a music instructor and jazz director at MSU Denver.
“Anyone who knew him knew what an incredibly kind and wonderful person he was,” Provizer said. “He was known for what he did, not what he told others he did. Ron was a great player, not a good player, a great player. And at the same time he was a dedicated, terrific teacher.”
For more than two decades, Miles taught in MSU Denver’s Department of Music, a role in which he mentored hundreds of young musicians.
“I really want (my students) to realize that while they’re in school, particularly in music, it’s very important that they get outside of these walls. That they see that their art resonates in the community,” Miles said in 2017. “Duke Ellington said he doesn’t write music, he writes dreams. That’s what he does. He just dreams and puts it on paper. And that’s what I want them to do.”
Miles was born in Indianapolis in 1963 and moved to Denver with his family in 1974. He attended East High School and released his debut album Distance for Safety in 1987. He went on to record 11 more albums, including the critically acclaimed I Am a Man in 2017 and Rainbow Sign — his 2020 debut on the iconic Blue Note record label that was influenced by the death of his father.
“There’s this idea of rainbows being a highway from heaven to earth and that we can go back and forth to visit,” Miles told RED in 2020. “Now, it also means inclusion and love and courage … and to meet the test to be positive, vigilant, and still love in the face of negativity we constantly encounter.”
In addition to leading his own bands, Miles performed in the ensembles of top jazz artists such as Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, Mercer Ellington, Don Byron, Myra Melford, Joe Henry, Madeleine Peyroux, Jason Moran and many others. He was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
Miles is survived by his wife, Kari, his daughter, Justice, and his son, Honor, his mother, brother, two sisters and a half-sister.
A version of this memorial first appeared in RED, the newsletter of MSU Denver. It is reprinted with permission.