Miles Gilderdale is an Award-winning Guitarist/Songwriter whose musical career spans nearly 40 years. His early success was fronting the Soul band Zoot & The Roots. It was with this outfit that he backed legends Ben E. King, opened for Curtis Mayfield on two tours and even got an offer direct from James Brown to accompany him on his full European tour while ‘Living in America’ was topping the charts - The terrible joke about that is the the band’s agent (who shall remain nameless) turned it down. Miles really hit his stride when he joined Internationally acclaimed contemporary jazz group Acoustic Alchemy which he co-fronts with partner Greg Carmichael. This brings us to Miles’s latest release “Purple People” which takes us full circle back to his soul and funk roots. It’s also very much a reaction to the misery of the pandemic and recalls the irresistible sounds of the 80s Minneapolis scene in particular. “It’s weird” says Miles, “almost everything I’ve written in the last year has been ridiculously happy, which is strange because I didn’t think I was !” ‘The Guardian’ newspaper once described Miles as ‘a natural front-man’ who writes great songs and always gives 100%. He has played alongside some serious luminaries but as a modest and humble fellow he has never really blown his own trumpet ……. guitar-playing is more his thing ……