Should, to many of you here, Arthur Miles’s name not being that significant, this interesting and talentuous man is far from being a new comer. Those of you havin’ an ear into jazz, might have recognized the nephew of the late Wes Montgomery. As for what concerns us, we’ll more particularly remember him for his transient adventure on FFRR in 1990 with the enlightening ‘Helping Hand/Trippin On Your Love’ on which he gave a display of his maestria. If ever in search of both a rearranger and a great performer, what comes thereafter might fairly well tickle your curiosity…
There are not 36 # kinds of music, used to say the late Miles Davis. On one hand, you’ve got the good one and on the other, the bad one… Differently said, the one that touches you and the one leavin’ you with no concern. Useless to specify how to me Arthur Miles’ one is to be put in the first category, havin’ myself in the will to know a bit more soon after I’ve been given his single, while havin’ him respondin’ to my Q’s from his new home in Italy. Born in Indianapolis in 1949 before movin’ to Los Angeles 3 years after, Miles started his professional career at the age of 16 in 1965. It then woudn’t take much for this young talent at the time to show his undeniable skills, should it be with groups such as The Days Band and The Curb Feelers or alongside big names like José Feliciano, Edwin Starr, Gloria Gaynor and Big Joe Turner, being himself considered as one of the best Californian bluesmen. Before working soon after its arrival in the Peninsula with Paolo Conte, Zucchero and Black Box. Movin’ to Italy remains somehow surprising from an American artist and I couldn’t help askin’ him his goals at the time… Well, don’t get me wrong, I love L.A. but not as much the American way of living, he said. I guess it comes from the fact that I’m oftently abroad. I got to Japan and Canada where I performed in almost every piano bar with my musicians and each time I got home was sort of a pain in the ass. I was supposed to have a deal with MCA, I submitted them a few demos but they never released anything. I was like those footballers dropped in the purgatory meanwhile spending their time as eternal substitutes. It’s quite hard to make yourself a name in the States unless you are Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles. You gotta get the help from a big name, otherwise basta! As a result, I jumped on the bandwagon when Italy based friends of mine have offered me to join’em.
Once there, it wouldn’t take that much time for our man to come up with a solid reputation. This because of bein’ in a less anonymous local arena. This is how his true potential would come to the attention of Milan based producer Pippo Landro. Things have quicky happened between us, he explained. Pippo had submitted songs to me and I had ideas as how to approach them. He would listen to me and this is how everything got started with the release of ‘Bring Back The Chic’ in 1990 scoring a local success. The second try would be far more convincing, with ‘Helping Hand’ receiving a critical acclaim by the British jocks soon after being signed by Pete Tongue on his FFRR label. I rearranged the song and did the same for the flip (‘Trippin’ On Your Love’) ; the latest being a cover version of UK outfit A Way Of Life released a bit earlier on Eternal. The difference of approaches from the Brit soul influenced ‘Helping Hand’ to the housey R’n’B soulful ‘Trippin…’ was to me enuff reason to get to know a bit better about the motivations of our man at the time. Well, I’m very much into the music of the 70’s, the Philadelphia sound and all of those grooves which are evergreen coz’ they’re classics. Blues, R ‘n’B, the 60’s early 70’s soul. I would say that my style is a blend of both my energy and the emotion that I feel at the time.
The signature at the same period of another US bluesman (Tad Robinson) on an Italian label could well have been the sign of emergence of a new era locally speaking, following the footsteps of the so called Italo disco 10 years earlier. The Tifosi are litteraly crazy about R’n’B and the Blues Brothers’ material is often the subject of heavy disputes at the record shops. Although the latest are far from being the best to me, I would say that this has helped people to give more attention to this kind of music, even though this hype around them have made many people forgetting about the quintessential contributions from Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Jackie Wilson, Bobby Blues Band and the likes.
I’ve written 4 to 5 songs on my album and have another half a dozen to be recorded. Some material which would never see the light because of the Italian producers jumping from Spaghetti house to what was soon to become Eurodance for the masses…
Miles has got back those intimate live performances in his adoptive country where, surrounded by his musicians – a quartet named Allstar Gospel, he feeds the spirits of those who come to see him with interpretations full of emotion. Blues is a way of life, he said in an British newspaper. To understand it, you gotta have it inside… MFSB
ARTHUR MILES ‘Bring Back The Chic’ (I-New Music)
‘Helping Hand/Trippin’ On Your Love’ (UK-FFRR)
Love For All Seasons LP (I-New Music)
INTERVIEW
