[Dixielandjazz] Ruby Braff

[JimDBB at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/14/03 7:44:22 PM Central Standard Time, 
james at jiming.demon.co.uk writes:


> Did I miss something? Ruby Braff passed away and I have so far seen no
> >comments on the list.
> >Surely someone must have some reminiscences of the man?
> >Brian Harvey
> 
Jim Denham's reply to this was just right.  Brian is right, there should be a 
lot of commentary on Ruby Braff.  Ruby was very quotable as he was an 
unrepentent curmudgeon and a master of outrageous comment on other musicians. 
 And      masterful comments on music and his favorite musicians, as well.

I first met Ruby at a party in Toronto in 1968.  I was there with Bob Scobey 
and one night Ruby came in and plunked himself right down in front of the 
band.  He gave an attentive ear to Scobey's trumpet playing.  At a party 
later that night, Ruby lit into a 2 hour dissertation on Louis Armstrong that 
was absolutely fascinating.
Ruby had been working with Benny Goodman and he said that Goodman was 
pathologically jealous of Armstrong and to nourish that, Ruby would cut out 
every good review that he found about Louis and would place it on Benny's 
music stand.

Ruby worshipped Louis Armstrong and told of going to see him at a club in New 
York he was performing in.  Ruby ended up sitting at a table with Lennie 
Tristano. During the set Louis played a very slow and beautiful , "Tenderly." 
 At the end Tristano remarked to Ruby, " I don't get it , what is so great 
about this guy."  With this, Ruby jumped up and shouted at Lennie, " Now I 
know why your music is so fucking lousy, you don't know good music when you 
hear it."

To me, Ruby Braff's musicality is on a lofty par with Jack Teagarden. Both 
had a beautiful and very personal sound, a marvelous sense of melodic line 
along with an innate creative harmonic sense.  And all of this brought 
together and made possible with a unique and very flexible technique.  Very 
few cornetists/trumpeters can get around their horns with the ease and 
facillity that Ruby Braff could.

The brilliant British jazz writer and radio presenter Steve Voce has hours of 
recorded conversations with Ruby.  Many are hoping that these will be made 
available either as recordings or transcribed in print.

There is one interview, written, I think, by Whitney Balliett for the New 
Yorker in which Ruby carries on about playing in clubs.  Surprisingly, Ruby 
candidly Ruby says that he likes to hear people talking, glasses clinking, 
the waiter dropping a tray and things like that.  To him it meant that people 
were alive and engaged in life'... or something like that, I"ve forgotten his 
exact words.

I wonder if anybody has access to that interview and could post it.

Ruby Braff was devoted to the 'Adoration of the Melody' but we should not 
forget that he was a very capable of playing Dixieland Jazz and could play 
very good ensemble.  He was absolutely one of the greats.

Jim Beebe






     JEm 
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