Otmaro Ruíz (born June 27, 1964, in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and educator. Son of Oscar Ruiz Beluche and Omaira Prado Hurtado, both medical doctors. He has a sister named Orlena, also a musician (violin, piano) and educator.

Career

Ruíz began his formal musical studies at the age of eight on piano, classical guitar, harmony, history and aesthetics. His formal musical studies were done in the Juan Manuel Olivares Music School in Caracas. In the meantime, he also was exposed to other artistic activities such as drawing and acting. At the same time, he studied organ and pursued a scientific career as a

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

at the Simón Bolívar University, but kept playing keyboards on the side, landing his first professional work in a pop group in 1980. Decided to focus entirely on music, Ruíz dropped out of school in 1983 while playing in his native Venezuela, where he toured and recorded with local and visiting musicians, and also became a busy

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

as a

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

s composer and arranger. In 1989 Ruíz moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, California, where he finished his academic training at

CalArts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of bot ...

, obtaining a master's degree in jazz performance in 1993. In between, he was also playing with percussionist

Alex Acuña Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian-American drummer and percussionist. Background Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands such as La Orquesta de los Hermanos Neci ...

, appearing in two albums during the early 1990s. and later recorded with

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his ...

, which was followed by a world tour supporting

Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include "People Gotta Move" (1974), "I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), " Living Inside Myself" (1981) a ...

in 1996. Ruiz marked the transition into the new millennium performing on both acoustic piano and electric keyboards with rock icons

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

and

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

, Latin Crossings Project, featuring Latin legend

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 c ...

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

and

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

and Fusion giant

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, also taking part in recordings and multiple World tours with multi Grammy Award winner vocalist

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer. Biography Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...

Frank Gambale Frank Gambale (; born 22 December 1958) is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released twenty albums over a period of three decades, and is known for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques. Recording career Solo ...

, Alain Caron and

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

. Ruiz also participated in an international jazz group named JB Project, along with American bassist

Brian Bromberg Brian Bromberg (born December 5, 1960) is an American jazz bassist and record producer who performs on both electric and acoustic instruments. Biography Bromberg was born on December 5, 1960, in Tucson, Arizona. His father and brother, David, ...

and Japanese drummer

Akira Jimbo , is a Japanese jazz fusion drummer who combines electronic drum technology and acoustic drums. Aside from his solo work, he was the drummer for the Japanese jazz fusion band Casiopea and had participated in side projects with Keiko Matsui, Sham ...

. This group released three studio albums: ''Brombo'' (2003), ''Brombo II'' (2004) and ''Brombo III'' (2017). Additionally, he appeared on Akira Jimbo's CDs projects for eleven consecutive years as member of a Trio/Quartet format. In 2012, the Cornel School of Contemporary Music of

Shepherd University Shepherd University is a public university in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the university enrolled 3,159 students in Fall 2020. History Shepherd University began when the county seat of Jefferson ...

awarded Ruiz with an Honorary Doctorate in Music Arts. Then, in 2016, he was nominated for the Best Arrangement Instrumental & Vocals at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

for his version of the tune "

Girl from Ipanema "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema") is a Brazilian bossa nova and jazz song. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. It was written in 1962, with music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Po ...

", which was part of his production ''Catina DeLuna and Lado B Brazilian Project, featuring Otmaro Ruiz''. This CD also got raving international reviews, including four stars by ''

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' magazine and also was included in their issue Best of 2016. Furthermore, Ruiz has conducted workshops and lectures worldwide and formed part of the faculty of

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

for five years. Otmaro also worked as a member of the Cornell School of Contemporary Music based at

faculty, as part of a team that includes long time friends and collaborators

Abraham Laboriel Abraham Laboriel López Sr. (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. ''Guitar Player'' magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the f ...

and Jimmy Branly. In recent years, Otmaro Ruiz released his long dreamed "electric" CD in Trio format with famed musicians

Jimmy Haslip James Robert Haslip (born December 31, 1951) is an American bass guitarist who was a founding member of the jazz fusion group the Yellowjackets, which he left in 2012. He was also an early user of the five-string electric bass. Early life and ...

and Jimmy Branly entitled "Elemental" to amazing international reviews, also became a member of Simon Phillips' influential Jazz Rock Fusion Band "Protocol" and Toured with SoulBop, a Modern Electric Jazz ensemble conducted by

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

. Ruíz remains active up to the present day, generally recording and touring with L.A.-based groups and vocalists, as well as commanding his own projects.

Selected discography

As a leader

*''Otmaro Ruiz plays Ryuichi Sakamoto'' (MIDI Inc., 1991) *''Nothing to Hide'' (MMP Records, 1996) *''Distant Friends'' (MLP Records, 1997) *''Latino'' featuring Alex Acuña and Abe Laboriel (Pony Canyon Inc, 2005) *''Sojourn'' (Minina Music / Moondo Records, 2008) *''Catina DeLuna and Lado B Brazilian Project Featuring Otmaro Ruiz'' (Independent, 2015) *''Elemental'' featuring

and Jimmy Branly (Blue Canoe, 2018)

Other credits

*''En Vivo'' -

Ilan Chester Ilan Chester (born Ilan Czenstochowski) is a celebrated Venezuelan musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born in Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel in 1952, to Ashkenazi parents, Ilan emigrated to Venezuela in 1953. Biography 2010 award winnin ...

(1989) *''En Concierto'' -

Soledad Bravo Soledad Bravo (born January 1, 1943) is a Venezuelan singer. Born in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain, her father was a Spanish republican, moving to Venezuela with his family when his daughter was still at an early age. At 24, Soledad began studying ...

(1989) *''Thinking of You'' -

(1991) *'' Imagen Latina'' -

Alberto Naranjo Alberto Naranjo ah-rahn'-ho(September 14, 1941 – January 27, 2020) was a Venezuelan musician. His mother, the singer Graciela Naranjo, was a radio, film and television pioneer in her homeland. Largely self-taught, Naranjo embarked on a simil ...

(1992) *''Dream Come True'' -

(1993) *''Deseo'' -

(1994) *''Passages'' -

(1995) *''The Latin Train'' -

(1995) *''Si el Norte fuera el Sur'' -

Ricardo Arjona Edgar Ricardo Arjona Algadeoro (born 19 January 1964), known as Ricardo Arjona (), is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter. Arjona is one of the most successful and best-selling Latin American artists of all time, with more than 80 million records so ...

(1996) *''Passion Dance'' -

(1997) *''Plomo Revienta'' -

Desorden Público Desorden Público is a Grammy nominated ska band founded in 1985 in Caracas, Venezuela. The band's music mixes ska, latin rock, reggae and traditional Latin music styles. The group's lyrics are known for commenting on Venezuela's and Latin Ameri ...

(1997) *''Strive for Higher Realities'' -

Pedro Eustache Pedro Eustache (born August 18, 1959) is a Venezuelan-born flautist, reed player, world woodwind player, composer, and instrument maker. He has more than seven years of symphonic experience and a collection of around 600 instruments from all ...

(1997) *''Red Heat'' -

(2000) *''The Heart of Things : Live in Paris'' -

(2000) *''Call Me Al'' - Alain Caron (2001) *''Baila Cinderella'' -

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

(2002) *''

TruANT Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not refe ...

'' -

Alien Ant Farm Alien Ant Farm is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Riverside, California in 1996. They have released five studio albums and sold over 5 million units worldwide. The band's cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth_Criminal#Alien Ant Farm ...

(2003) *''Brombo'' -

(2003) *''Cancionero del Amor Puertorriqueño'' -

(2003) *''Brombo II'' -

(2004) *''Live in Montreal'' VD-

(2005) *''Aneurythms'' -

Jeff Berlin Jeffrey Arthur Berlin (born January 17, 1953) is an American jazz fusion bassist. He first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the band Bruford led by drummer Bill Bruford. Musical career Berlin was born on January 17, 1953, in Queen ...

(2006) *'' Natural High'' -

(2006) *''Industrial Zen'' -

(2006) *''Music for Lovers'' -

(2007) *''Flying Over Bridges'' -

Ashley Maher Ashley Maher is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has meshed the rhythmic impulses of West Africa and Latin America with Western song structures. Biography Ashley Maher was born to British parents in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and moved to Lo ...

(2007) *''Conversations'' - Alain Caron (2008) / Also with Oliver Jones, Lorraine Desmarais and François Bourassa, among others *''Natural Selection'' -

(2010) *''Born in the 80's'' -

Hadrien Feraud Hadrien Feraud (born August 16, 1984 in Paris) is a French jazz bassist. Biography Hadrien Feraud was born into a very musical family. His parents -- who are also musicians -- immersed him at a very young age in various musical environments: ro ...

(2015) *''Brombo III'' -

(2017)

References

External links

Home PageAudiophile RecordsMMP/MOO RecordsVerve Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Otmaro 1964 births Living people People from Caracas Simón Bolívar University (Venezuela) alumni Venezuelan jazz pianists Venezuelan musicians 21st-century pianists