Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) 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 ...

trumpeter and

cornetist The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopra ...

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 19 ...

was once asked about him on the

Garry Moore Garry Moore (born Thomas Garrison Morfit; January 31, 1915 – November 28, 1993) was an American entertainer, comedic personality, game show host, and humorist best known for his work in television. He began a long career with the CBS netwo ...

television show and described Ruby as "the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

". Braff was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. He was renowned for working in an idiom ultimately derived from the playing of

and

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical app ...

. He began playing in local clubs in the 1940s. In 1949, he was hired to play with the

Edmond Hall Edmond Hall (May 15, 1901 – February 11, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Over his career, Hall worked extensively with many leading performers as both a sideman and bandleader and is possibly best known for the 1941 ch ...

Orchestra at the Savoy Cafe of Boston. He relocated to New York in 1953 where he was much in demand for band dates and recordings. He resided in

Harwich, Massachusetts Harwich ( ) is a New England town on Cape Cod, in Barnstable County in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 13,440. Harwich experiences a seasonal increase to roughly 37,000. The town is a ...

and died of complications from emphysema, heart failure, and

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

on February 9, 2003, in Chatham, Massachusetts. He had spent a good part of his life living in the Riverdale section of

The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York City.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''

Buck Meets Ruby ''Buck Meets Ruby'' is an album by trumpeters Buck Clayton and Ruby Braff which was recorded in 1954 and released on the Vanguard label originally as a four track 10-inch LP.Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

, 1954) with

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

* ''Jazz at Storyville, Vol. 1 and 2'' (

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

, 1955) with

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

* ''Ruby Braff Swings'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Holiday in Braff'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Ball at Bethlehem with Braff'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, 1955) * ''Braff!!'' ( Epic, 1956) * ''Ruby Braff featuring Dave McKenna'' (

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

, 1956) * ''Hi-Fi Salute to Bunny'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, 1957) * '' The Ruby Braff Octet with Pee Wee Russell & Bobby Henderson at Newport'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1957) * ''Ruby Braff Goes 'Girl Crazy (

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, 1958) * ''Easy Now'' (RCA, 1959) * ''You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me'' (Stere-O-Craft, 1959) * ''Blowing Around The World'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, 1959) * ''The Ruby Braff Marshall Brown Sextet'' (

, 1961) * ''Live at the Regattabar'' ( Arbors, 1993) * ''Ruby Braff Remembers

: Being with You'' (Arbors, 1997) * ''You Can Depend on Me'' (Arbors, 1998) * ''Born to Play'' (Arbors, 1999) * ''Ruby Braff and Strings: In the Wee, Small Hours in London and New York'' (Arbors, 2000) * ''The Cape Godfather'' (Arbors, 2000) * ''Music for the Still of the Night'' (Arbors, 2001) * ''I Hear Music'' (Arbors, 2002) * ''Relaxing at the Penthouse with the

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCa ...

Trio'' (Victoria, 2002) * ''Variety Is the Spice of Braff'' (Arbors, 2002) * ''Watch What Happens'' (Arbors, 2003) * ''You Brought a New Kind of Love'' (Arbors, 2005) * ''Controlled Nonchalance' at the Regattabar, Vol. 2'' (Arbors, 2006) * Ruby Braff And The Flying Pizzarellis: ''C'est Magnifique!'' (Arbors, 2007) * ''Little Things - Live In Dublin 1976'' (

Nagel-Heyer Records Nagel-Heyer Records is a German jazz record label based in Hamburg. Nagel-Heyer was founded in 1992 by Hans and Sabine Nagel-Heyer to issue primarily live recordings of both North American and European jazz performers. By 2004, it had released ne ...

, 2007) * ''For the Last Time - Ruby Braff's Historic Final Performance With Scott Hamilton'' (Arbors, 2008) * ''Our Love is Here to Stay'' (Arbors, 2010)

With George Barnes

* ''The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, 1974) * ''The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet Salutes Rodgers and Hart'' (

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

, 1974) * ''The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet – Live at the New School'' (Chiaroscuro, 1974) * ''The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet Plays Gershwin'' (Concord Jazz, 1974) * ''The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet – To Fred Astaire with Love'' (RCA, 1975)

With
Ellis Larkins Ellis Larkins (May 15, 1923 – September 30, 2002) was an American jazz pianist born in Baltimore, Maryland, known for his two recordings with Ella Fitzgerald: the albums '' Ella Sings Gershwin'' (1950) and ''Songs in a Mellow Mood'' (1954). He ...

* ''2 Part Inventions in Jazz, Vol. 2'', (Vanguard, 1955) * ''The Grand Reunion'' (Chiaroscuro, 1972) * ''Ruby Braff & Ellis Larkins: The Complete Duets'' (Definitive Classics, 2006) * ''Ruby Braff and Ellis Larkins: Calling Berlin, Vols. 1 & 2'' (Arbors)

As sideman

With

Larry Adler Lawrence Cecil Adler (February 10, 1914 – August 6, 2001) was an American harmonica player. Known for playing major works, he played compositions by George Gershwin, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Darius Milhaud and Arthur Benjamin. ...

*''Larry Adler Again!'' (

Audio Fidelity Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

, 1959) With

*''

Louis Armstrong and His Friends ''Louis Armstrong and His Friends'' is an album by the Louis Armstrong recorded in 1970 and originally released by Flying Dutchman on their Amsterdam subsidiary label.Minn. MThe Louis Armstrong Discography: Twilight (1963 - 1971) accessed Novembe ...

'' (Flying Dutchman/Amsterdam, 1970) With

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

*''Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs'' (Improv, 1976) *''Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart'' (Improv, 1977) *''Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook'' (Concord, 2005; reissue of Improv recordings, plus unreleased takes) ;With

*''

Jumpin' at the Woodside "Jumpin' at the Woodside" is a song first recorded in 1938 by the Count Basie Orchestra, and considered one of the band's signature tunes. When first released it reached number 11 on the ''Billboard'' charts and remained on them for four weeks. ...

'' (Columbia, 1955) *''

All the Cats Join In ''All the Cats Join In'' is a song written by Ray Gilbert, Eddie Sauter and Alec Wilder, and first recorded by Benny Goodman. It later was a track on an LP with the same title by trumpeter Buck Clayton. Benny Goodman Curiously, Goodman recor ...

'' (Columbia 1956) With Scott Hamilton and

Dave McKenna Dave McKenna (May 30, 1930 – October 18, 2008) was an American jazz pianist known primarily as a solo pianist and for his " three-handed" swing style. He was a significant figure in the evolution of jazz piano. Career He was born in Woonsock ...

*''Controlled Nonchalance at the Regattabar, Volume 1'' (Arbors) *''Controlled Nonchalance, Volume 2'' (Arbors) With

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

*''It Had To Be Us'' (Chiaroscuro 1998) With

Milt Hinton Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer. Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...

*''The Judge at His Best'' (Chiaroscuro, 2001) With Dick Hyman *''America, The Beautiful'' (Arbors) *''Ruby Braff and Dick Hyman Play Nice Tunes'' (Arbors) *''Manhattan Jazz'' ( MusicMasters) *''Music from My Fair Lady'' (Concord) *''Music from South Pacific'' (Concord) With

*''The Individualism of Pee Wee Russell'' (1952) *''A Portrait of Pee Wee'' (1958) With Ralph Sutton *''R & R'' (Chiaroscuro, 2002) *''Remembered'' (Arbors DVD) With

George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.

*''Wein, Women and Song and More, George Wein Plays and Sings'' (Arbors) *'' George Wein & the Newport All-Stars'' (Impulse!, 1962) *''George Wein's Newport All-Stars'' (Atlantic, 1969)

References

External links

Jazz Review biography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Braff, Ruby 1927 births 2003 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Candid Records artists Dixieland revivalist trumpeters Mainstream jazz trumpeters Red Baron Records artists Swing cornetists Swing trumpeters 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American musicians 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Sackville Records artists Black Lion Records artists Arbors Records artists RCA Records artists United Artists Records artists Chiaroscuro Records artists Concord Records artists Vanguard Records artists Nagel-Heyer Records artists