Hilton Ruiz dies

[king ubu]

Very sad

[brownie]

News of Hilton Ruiz's death has been announced.

From AP:

Jazzman Hilton Ruiz dies at 54

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY, Associated Press Writer

Jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz, who came to New Orleans to work on a Hurricane Katrina benefit recording, died early Tuesday, his agent and manager said.

Ruiz, who turned 54 on May 29, had been comatose at East Jefferson General Hospital since he fell early May 19 in front of a French Quarter bar.

He died about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday, agent Joel Chriss said in a telephone interview from New York.

Ruiz, of Teaneck, N.J., has been described as one of the most versatile musicians in jazz, playing bop, Afro-Cuban, stride and many other styles.

"He's one of the few musicians on the scene that is equally at home in both the jazz genre and the Afro-Cuban genre in a complete sense. ... He really can play the blues, too. For real," trombone player Steve Turre, who had known Ruiz since 1975, said in an interview the week after Ruiz fell. "There's a lot of people who dabble with both worlds. But very few can authentically deal with both. And he's one of them. That's your rarity."

He described Ruiz as a complex man and a brilliant musician, a pianist, composer and bandleader of genius.

Ruiz came to New Orleans with Marco Matute, a producer for the M27 World label, to shoot video to go along with a Hurricane Katrina benefit compact disc of New Orleans music, attorney Mary Howell said before his death. They arrived May 18, she said.

"They spent the whole day filming, riding in carriages, talking to people about New Orleans," She said.

She said Ruiz "got very involved in the situation here" after playing in a New York benefit concert for the hurricane's victims.

The family has been "inundated with calls from people wanting to help." They asked for prayers; an account to help pay Ruiz' medical expenses was set up, Howell said.

Trained in classical music as well as jazz, Ruiz played at Carnegie Recital Hall when he was 8 years old. His teachers included jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams; in his early 20s, he and Turre both worked with saxophone player Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

In an interview with Ted Panken, for liner notes on his 2003 CD, "Enchantment," Ruiz said Kirk — known, among other things, for playing a saxophone and two of its turn-of-the-century cousins at once — nurtured and demanded versatility.

"All the music I enjoyed was part of the Rahsaan experience," Ruiz told Panken. "He played the music of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. Real down-home blues, as they're called. The great composers of classical music. Music from all over the world — Africa, the Orient, the Middle East. We had to play all these musical flavors every night."

He was playing with Latin groups in his early teens. His first recording, at age 14, was with a group called Ray Jay and the East Siders. While still in his teens, Ruiz worked with tenor saxophonists Frank Foster and Joe Henderson and trumpeters Joe Newman, Freddie Hubbard and Cal Massey.

"I was pretty lucky in being exposed to a lot of different kinds of music, and studying them with good teachers," he said, quoted in a biography on the Telarc International Corp.'s Web site.

The many musicians with whom he worked included Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Mingus.

He was among musicians featured on the 1997 video "The Best of Latin Jazz," and his song "Something Grand" is part of the "American Beauty" soundtrack.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

missed this thread and the prior news as well.

rest in peace...

[gslade]

RIP

[sheldonm]

...very sad indeed. Photographed him a few years ago and got to chat with him for a bit. He's been one of the judges for the APA (American Pianists Association) over the past few years and is pretty good friends with one of my indy jazz fest contacts.

[HolyStitt]

Doin' It Right was one of the first jazz CDs I ever bought.

Very sad news.

[Christiern]

Jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz dies at 54

JANET McCONNAUGHEY

Associated Press

N

EW ORLEANS - Jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz, who excelled in a wide variety of styles from Afro-Cuban rhythms to the blues, died early Tuesday, never regaining consciousness after a fall in front of a French Quarter bar. He was 54.

Ruiz, who had come to New Orleans to work on a Hurricane Katrina benefit project, had been comatose at East Jefferson General Hospital since he fell early May 19.

He died about 3:50 a.m. Tuesday, agent Joel Chriss said in a telephone interview from New York.

Although there were early reports that Ruiz might have been beaten, police said witnesses indicated he fell. Attorney Mary Howell, retained by his ex-wife and daughter, said last week that they, too, were convinced that Ruiz had accidentally tripped or fallen.

Ruiz, of Teaneck, N.J., has been described as one of the most versatile musicians in jazz.

"He's one of the few musicians on the scene that is equally at home in both the jazz genre and the Afro-Cuban genre in a complete sense. ... He really can play the blues, too. For real," said trombone player Steve Turre, a longtime friend. "There's a lot of people who dabble with both worlds, but very few can authentically deal with both. And he's one of them."

The many musicians with whom Ruiz worked included Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Mingus. He was featured on the 1997 video "The Best of Latin Jazz," and his song "Something Grand" was included on the soundtrack of the film "American Beauty."

"I was pretty lucky in being exposed to a lot of different kinds of music, and studying them with good teachers," Ruiz said in a biography on the Telarc International Corp.'s Web site.

Playing with Ruiz, bass player Leon Dorsey said, "I always knew I had to bring my `A' game to the table all the time. ... His musicality, artistry, passion - all those things were just melded, and they all happened at a very high level. All worked in perfect symmetry."

Ruiz came to New Orleans on May 18 with Marco Matute, founder and producer of the M27 World label, to shoot video to go along with a Hurricane Katrina benefit CD, Howell said.

"They spent the whole day filming, riding in carriages, talking to people about New Orleans," she said. She said Ruiz "got very involved in the situation here" after playing in a New York benefit concert.

Trained in classical music as well as jazz, Ruiz played at Carnegie Recital Hall when he was 8 years old. His first recording, at age 14, was with a group called Ray Jay and the East Siders.

His teachers included jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams; in his early 20s, he worked with saxophone player Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

"All the music I enjoyed was part of the Rahsaan experience," Ruiz said in an interview for liner notes on his 2003 CD "Enchantment." "He played the music of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson. Real down-home blues, as they're called. The great composers of classical music. Music from all over the world - Africa, the Orient, the Middle East. We had to play all these musical flavors every night."

Ruiz is survived by his daughter, Aida (pronounced "Ida"), and his ex-wife, also named Aida. Both had been with him in New Orleans since learning he was hospitalized.

[ep1str0phy]

Really, really sad to hear it. Thanks for the sounds, Mr. Ruiz.

[JSngry]

Tragic.

[mikeweil]

Indeed tragic. He was one of the best Latin jazz pianists on the scene.

I love his Manhattan Mambo CD on Telarc. Very spirited playing. I will give it a spin tomorrow.

R.I.P.

[B. Goren.]

RIP

[clifford_thornton]

This is very sad, and fairly fucked as far as a way to go out... too soon!

RIP and thanks for your wonderful work, Hilton.

[sidewinder]

I'm still stunned by this news and immensely saddened.

Hilton was a guy who I caught in performance a good number of times, mainly back in the 70s/80s when he was very much up and coming but also caught him at the great NYC Birdland gig recorded by Candid. He was by far my favourite Latin jazz pianist, an absolute master in that idiom. I also never saw him give less than 100% at his gigs.

RIP.

Here's the Birdland CD (in which he was absolutely at his prime).

Edited June 7, 2006 by sidewinder

[RonF]

For Hilton Ruiz

VISITATION:

Sunday June 11 & Monday June 12

2-5 pm & 7-9pm

Barrett Funeral Home

424 West 51st Street * New York * NY * 10019 * phone: (212) 265-0335

http://www.barrettfuneralhomenyc.net/director.html

MASS:

Tuesday June 13 @ 10 am

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church

451 West 51st Street, New York, NY 10019 (212) 265-5020

http://www.hellskitchennyc.com/html/sacredheart.htm

[7/4]

June 7, 2006

Ruiz Family Not Certain Fall Caused Death

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:14 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The family of pianist-composer Hilton Ruiz is not convinced that an accidental fall caused his death, their new New Orleans attorney said Wednesday.

''Although it is the family's understanding that the New Orleans Police Department has closed its file in this matter, the family confirms that they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his injury and death,'' lawyer Scott M. Galante said.

Galante said he has not seen the evidence that police showed to Ruiz's ex-wife and daughter, both named Aida, while Ruiz was still on life support. Attorney Mary Howell, representing them at the time, said then that they had accepted the conclusion reached by police.

Ruiz, 54, of Teaneck, N.J., had come to New Orleans on May 18 to shoot video to go with a planned compact disc to benefit New Orleans, recorded only days before he left the New York area. He was injured on Bourbon Street about 4:30 or 5 a.m. on May 19. Ruiz died on Tuesday.

Neither Galante nor Ruiz's ex-wife would comment on a New York Post report about a video shown to the Ruizes by police. The newspaper quoted the elder Aida Ruiz as saying it showed her ex-husband leaving a bar and hitting his head on a curb, but that he was staggering badly, as if he had already been injured.

Galante said he is representing the younger Aida Ruiz, and could not comment about what anyone else said.

Capt. John Bryson, a police spokesman, asked any witnesses who haven't talked to police to come forth. ''We want to interview any and everybody,'' he said.

Police originally investigated the case as an assault, but everything they learned indicated that Ruiz fell accidentally, Bryson said.

A jam session benefit for Ruiz and his family Tuesday night raised about $3,800, organizer Eddie Rodriguez said.

''Once they'd heard that he'd passed away, a lot of people didn't come to the event because they thought it was canceled,'' he said.

[7/4]

June 19, 2006

Family of Late Jazzman Sues Dance Club

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:14 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The family of the late jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz has sued a Bourbon Street dance club, saying he was attacked and beaten there and the club's bouncers failed either to protect him or to help him afterward.

The club's manager denied the accusations, saying ''We have no knowledge of that whatsoever.''

Ruiz, 54, of Teaneck, N.J., died June 6, about 2 1/2 weeks after he fell in front of the Club Utopia, named as the defendant in the negligence lawsuit filed by his daughter, Aida Ruiz. He excelled in a wide variety of styles from Afro-Cuban rhythms to the blues, and had come to New Orleans to make a video to go with a benefit recording for Hurricane Katrina victims.

''We are very confident there are people out there who are aware of what happened to Mr. Ruiz in that club in the early hours of May 19,'' attorney Scott Galante said Monday. ''We are urging people and pleading with people to come forward to my office or the New Orleans Police Department with their information.''

After he had been in the Utopia for several hours, the lawsuit alleges, Ruiz was attacked by several people. The club's security workers ''failed to intervene in any meaningful fashion,'' or to call an ambulance for Ruiz, but instead threw or escorted him out and ''abandoned'' him even though he was clearly unable to make his way to safety, the suit alleges.

Utopia manager Fred Woodruff said that, as far as he knows, that never happened. He also said that he had not heard about the lawsuit, which was filed last week in Civil District Court.

Woodruff said he has not reviewed the club's security tapes, and police have not asked to see them.

Galante said, ''Obviously, it's something we're seeking,'' but wouldn't comment when asked whether he had asked the club for its tapes.

Ten days before Ruiz was hospitalized, an altercation involving five people inside the Utopia led to a murder just outside, police have said. In that case, a man argued with three women who refused to accept drinks from him, hitting one with a bottle and punching another, and then shot and killed the man who escorted the women outside to wait for an ambulance, police said.

Police have said they first investigated Ruiz's injuries as an attack, but witnesses and other evidence all indicated that Ruiz fell early May 19.

He never regained consciousness.

Police spokeswoman Bambi Hall said the department is cooperating with the family's lawyers, but stands by its investigators' original conclusion. ''We can't speak to what Utopia did or did not do,'' she said.

Mary Howell, the first attorney retained by Ruiz's daughter and ex-wife, also named Aida, said while Ruiz was still alive that his family was convinced that Ruiz had accidentally tripped or fallen.

But the younger Aida Ruiz then retained Galante.

[AllenLowe]

this whole thing has smelled bad from the beginning - and I find sickening not only the events, but the police unwillingness to do any work - I recently found out, about a year after the fact, that an old friend of mine was murdered; the person who did it was convicted, but of a lesser charge because the defense lawyer was able to smear my dead friend at the trial - I made a call to the DA who tried the case and found out that the DA failed to ask some basic questions that would have likely proved that the defendant perjured herself, and that the cops did not do the most routine kind of investigation or follow up on the chain of evidence (all of which would have proved pre-meditation) - the (somewhat) amusing side of this is that if you watch shows like CSI and Law and Order, every case is an epic battle for truth and justice. In real life they follow the path of least resistance -

Edited June 20, 2006 by AllenLowe

[brownie]

From AP:

Club: Tape negates claims on Ruiz death

By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press Writer

Bouncers at a Bourbon Street dance club threw the late jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz face-first into heavy wooden doors and then onto the floor after he was attacked by a club patron, his daughter claims in court papers filed Thursday.

But a representative for Club Utopia said its tapes show Ruiz signing a tab for more than $200, leaving by himself and walking without incident along an alley.

Tapes from a club next door show Ruiz tripping minutes later and hitting his face on the curb, Jacques Chrysocoos said.

Ruiz, of Teaneck, N.J., was hospitalized after being injured May 19. He died June 6, never regaining consciousness. He had come to New Orleans to make a video to go with a Hurricane Katrina benefit recording.

Attorney Scott M. Galante filed the new allegations against the club for Aida Ruiz, as an amended version of a lawsuit brought in June against Utopia and others. The allegations are based on statements by a witness, Galante said.

In the suit, Aida Ruiz claims that the club's bouncers failed either to protect her 54-year-old father or to help him after a patron attacked and beat him.

Chrysocoos said the review of that morning's tapes shows that the only disagreement that came close to a fight was between two other patrons, who were asked to leave. He said the club is sending its tapes to police.

Police have repeatedly said they investigated Ruiz's injuries as an attack, but found only evidence of an accidental fall.

[Bright Moments]

recommended!

[Pim]

Anyone familiar with this one?

 

Titled: Fantasia - Dedicated to Rashaan Roland Kirk. Looks promising with Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, Slide Hampton on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums.... Now that is one nice line up but does the music actually make up for what this promises?

[soulpope]

32 minutes ago, Pim said:

Anyone familiar with this one?

 

Titled: Fantasia - Dedicated to Rashaan Roland Kirk. Looks promising with Pharoah Sanders on tenor sax, Slide Hampton on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass and Idris Muhammad on drums.... Now that is one nice line up but does the music actually make up for what this promises?

Being a fan of both Reggie Workman and Hilton Ruiz have to confess this left me rather cold .... heard this a long time ago, so can`t give more details but vaguely remember Sanders and Hampton not blending well ....

[Pim]

1 hour ago, soulpope said:

Being a fan of both Reggie Workman and Hilton Ruiz have to confess this left me rather cold .... heard this a long time ago, so can`t give more details but vaguely remember Sanders and Hampton not blending well ....

Thanks! Sometimes seemingly golden groups don’t work in reality. Anymore opinions by others?