Hilton Ruiz (May 29, 1952 – June 6, 2006) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist in the

Afro-Cuban jazz Afro-Cuban jazz is the earliest form of Latin jazz. It mixes Afro-Cuban clave-based rhythms with jazz harmonies and techniques of improvisation. Afro-Cuban music has deep roots in African ritual and rhythm.{{cite web, Cuba: Son and Afro-Cuban ...

mold, but was also a talented

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

player. He was of Puerto Rican descent.

Biography

Born in New York City, Ruiz began playing piano at the age of five after being inspired by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

. At the age of eight he performed Mozart at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. In high school Ruiz studied jazz piano with

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and ...

. In 1973 he was a sideman for

Roland Kirk Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

, then later for

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

. He also worked with Betty Carter,

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

, and

Mongo Santamaría Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga an ...

. He co-wrote a music instruction book, ''Jazz and How to Play It''. He appeared on the soundtrack to Woody Allen's ''

Crimes and Misdemeanors ''Crimes and Misdemeanors'' is a 1989 American existential comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, and Joanna Gleason. ...

''. On May 19, 2006, Ruiz was found unconscious on

Bourbon Street Bourbon Street (french: Rue Bourbon, es, Calle de Borbón) is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending thirteen blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars an ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, where he had gone to shoot a video to promote a recently recorded project with M27 Records benefiting the victims of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

entitled "Goin' Back to New Orleans". The police filed a report that he had injured himself in an accidental fall. Ruiz was hospitalized in a coma and died without regaining consciousness a week after his 54th birthday. Ruiz was a resident of

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 U.S. census, th ...

. He was buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in New York City.

Discography

As leader

* 1975 '' Piano Man'' ( SteepleChase) * 1977 '' Excition'' (SteepleChase) * 1977 ''

New York Hilton The New York Hilton Midtown is the largest hotel in New York City and world's 101st tallest hotel. The hotel is owned by Park Hotels & Resorts and managed by Hilton Worldwide. At 1,929 rooms and over 150,000 sq ft of meeting space, the hote ...

'' (SteepleChase) * 1977 '' Steppin' Into Beauty'' (SteepleChase) released 1982 * 1981 ''Live at Jazz Unitè'' (Jazz Unite) * 1984 ''Cross Currents'' (Vintage Jazz) * 1988 ''El Camino (The Road)'' (

Novus Novus ("new" in Latin) may refer to: Companies * Novus Biologicals, a biotech company based in Littleton, Colorado, US * Novus Entertainment, a Canadian telecommunications company * Novus International, an animal health and nutrition company * Nov ...

) * 1989 ''Strut'' (Novus) * 1989 ''Doin' It Right'' (Novus) * 1991 ''A Moment's Notice'' (Novus) * 1992 ''Manhattan Mambo'' (

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

) * 1992 ''Live at Birdland'' ( Candid) * 1993 ''Heroes'' (Telarc) * 1995 ''Hands on Percussion'' (TropiJazz/RMM) * 1997 ''Island Eyes'' (TropiJazz/RMM) * 1998 '' Rhythm in the House'' (TropiJazz/RMM) * 2003 ''Hilton Ruiz Songbook'' (Hilton Ruiz Music) * 2003 ''Enchantment'' (

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

) * 2004 ''A New York Story'' Hilton Ruiz Music * 2005 ''Steppin' with T.P.- dedicated to Tito Puente'' M27 Records

As sideman

With Paquito D'Rivera *''Paquito Blowin'' (1981) With

Greg Abate Greg Abate (born May 31, 1947)Yanow, ScottGreg Abate Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-05 is a jazz saxophonist, flautist, composer, and arranger. He grew up in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In the fifth grade he began to play clarinet. Career ...

*''Horace is Here: A Tribute to Horace Silver'' (2004) With Afro Blue Band *''Impressions'' (1995) With

George Coleman George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. Early life Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...

*''

Amsterdam After Dark ''Amsterdam After Dark'' is an album by the American jazz saxophonist George Coleman recorded in late 1978 and released on the Dutch label, Timeless Records, Timeless.

'' ( Timeless, 1979) *''Live'' (

PYE Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

, 1979) With

Art Davis Arthur David Davis (December 6, 1934 – July 29, 2007) was a double-bassist, known for his work with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach. Biography Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

*''Reemergence'' (1980) With

Chico Freeman Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Award ...

*''

Beyond the Rain ''Beyond the Rain'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman recorded in 1977 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

, 1977) With

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

*'' Rhythmstick'' (1990) With

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. '' Grove Music Online''. '' Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The yea ...

*''

The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color ''The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color'' is an album by the jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, released as a double LP, with side 4 appearing blank - although side 4 did have a hidden track, the contents of which are released ...

'' (Atlantic, 1975) *''

Other Folks' Music ''Other Folks' Music'' is an album by the jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, recorded in March 1976. It contains performances by Kirk with Richard Williams, Kermit Moore, Gloria Agostini, Trudy Pitts, Hilton Ruiz, Henry Mattathias P ...

'' (Atlantic, 1976) *''

Kirkatron ''Kirkatron'' is an album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring performances by Kirk recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1975 and studio sessions from 1975 and 1976.

'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, 1976) *''

The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man ''The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man'' is an album by the jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real ''Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real'' is the final album recorded by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring performances by Kirk with string section and orchestra.

'' (Warner Bros., 1977) With

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

*''Golden Lady'' (1980) With Tisziji Munoz *''Presence of Truth'' (1999)

References

External links

Allmusic.com entry AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Hilton 1952 births 2006 deaths Bebop pianists Afro-Cuban jazz pianists Latin jazz pianists Accidental deaths from falls People from Teaneck, New Jersey Accidental deaths in Louisiana SteepleChase Records artists Candid Records artists Arabesque Records artists 20th-century pianists American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Catholics from New Jersey Burials at Saint Raymond's Cemetery (Bronx) Afro Blue Band members The Leaders members