Bio:



Miles Pearce began studying guitar at the age of eight. After ten years of exploring many styles from classical to folk and popular music, he began learning jazz guitar from Tony Lombardozzi at Wesleyan University. This was a pivotal influence on the evolution of his style which led to an interest in other world music traditions that share the adventurous fluidity of jazz. During the same period he had the good fortune of studying South Indian vocal music with the late T. Viswanathan. Miles went on to study North Indian Classical music in Ahmadabad, India under mandolin master Emu Desai.

Later he began to listen extensively to popular West African dance music based on drumming traditions, and had the opportunity to study cyclical and improvisational rhythmic principles with master drummers Abraham Adzenyah and Samuel Elikem Nyamuame at Wesleyan University. An equally fortuitous event was the good fortune of studying 20th century compositional techniques with master composer Neely Bruce, as well as with the great ethnomusicologists Eric Charry and Mark Slobin of Wesleyan University. Most recently he has studied flamenco guitar with Brazilian virtuoso Humberto Sales, an experience that has revolutionized his approach to guitar technique.

Miles has been fortunate to spend time with many other notable musicians who have been profound influences, including the great tabla master Divyang Vakil and his student Loren Oppenheimer, Anthony Braxton, Aaron and Matthew Olwell, Will Martin, Scottie B. Williams, John D'earth, Jesse Harper of Old School Freight Train, Fred Anderson, Mark Slezak, Jimbo Carey, Galen Bernard, and others who will remain anonymous for the moment. Many of the inspiring collaborators that have come and gone will also go unmentioned for brevity's sake. Learning from and working with all these extraordinary musicians and wonderful people has sweetened the experience tremendously and provided the courage necessary to keep blazing ahead despite the adversities faced by musicians and creative souls everywhere.

Miles lives in a small house with other musicians in Charlottesville and likes to eat several square meals every day while remembering to breathe whenever possible.