Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz (May 29, 1952 – June 6, 2006) was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player.
Ruiz began playing piano at the age of eight, and gigged with Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman when he was young. Later, he was Roland Kirk's main pianist from 1974 to 1977 and was featured on such records as The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color and The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man. Ruiz also recorded several solo albums between the 1980s and 2000s.
On May 19, 2006, Ruiz was found unconscious on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The police filed it as an accident. As a result, Ruiz was in a coma and eventually died at the age of 54. Ruiz was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[1]
He was buried at Saint Raymond's Cemetery in New York City.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
[edit] As leader
- 1975 Piano Man
- 1977 Excition
- 1977 Steppin' Into Beauty
- 1981 The People's Music "Live at Jazz Unité, vol 1" (Jazz Unité 103)
- 1981 Green Street "Live at Jazz Unité, vol 2" (Jazz Unité 104)
- 1987 Something Grand
- 1988 El Camino
- 1989 Strut
- 1990 Doin' It Right
- 1991 A Moment's Notice
- 1992 Manhattan Mambo
- 1993 Heroes
- 1994 Hands on Percussion
- 1997 Island Eyes
- 1998 Rhythm in the House
- 2003 Enchantment
- 2004 New York Story
- 2005 Steppin' With TP - Dedicated to Tito Puente
[edit] As sideman
with Rahsaan Roland Kirk
- The Case of the 3 Sided Dream In Audio Color (1975)
- Other Folks' Music (1976)
- Kirkatron (1976)
- The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (1976)
- Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real (1977)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Rhythmstick (1990)
With Art Davis
- Reemergence (1980)
With Afro Blue Band
- Impressions (1995)
With Abbey Lincoln
- Golden Lady (1980)
[edit] References
- ^ Keepnews, Peter. "Hilton Ruiz, 54, Pianist Fluent In Jazz and Latin Rhythms", The New York Times, June 7, 2006. Accessed November 4, 2007. "Hilton Ruiz, a versatile and prolific pianist equally at home in the worlds of modern jazz and Latin music, died yesterday in New Orleans. He was 54 and lived in Teaneck, N.J."
[edit] External links
- 1952 births
- 2006 deaths
- Bebop pianists
- American Roman Catholics
- Cuban jazz (genre) pianists
- Latin jazz pianists
- Accidental deaths from falls
- People from Teaneck, New Jersey
- Accidental deaths in Louisiana
- SteepleChase Records artists
- Puerto Rican jazz musicians
- American people of Puerto Rican descent
- Candid Records artists
- Arabesque Records artists
