Hilton Ruiz

Jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz was a musician of uncommon versatility, shuttling seamlessly between the complex improvisations of the avant-garde and the relentless rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Born in New York City on May 29, 1952, Ruiz was a child prodigy who performed at Carnegie Recital Hall at age eight. In addition to classical studies, he explored jazz under the tutelage of the legendary <a href="spotify:artist:6hrEc1XqVcGLK0Di6zVADR">Mary Lou Williams</a>, and at 14 made his recorded debut with the Latin soul outfit Ray Jay and the East Siders. His remarkable improvisational gifts nevertheless cemented Ruiz's decision to pursue a career in jazz, and while still in his teens he backed everyone from <a href="spotify:artist:0fTHKjepK5HWOrb2rkS5Em">Freddie Hubbard</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:3BG0nwVh3Gc7cuT4XdsLtt">Joe Henderson</a>. Ruiz vaulted to global renown in 1973 when he joined the famously eclectic saxophonist/flutist <a href="spotify:artist:7De2eIqeHTw091YeAkkYXV">Rahsaan Roland Kirk</a>, proving his mettle as a gifted interpreter of a repertoire spanning from the blues to the avant-garde via cult-classic LPs including The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color and The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man. After a four-year tenure with <a href="spotify:artist:7De2eIqeHTw091YeAkkYXV">Kirk</a>, Ruiz toured Egypt and India with <a href="spotify:artist:62xdwGEOLoGQxKUqoJusyU">Clark Terry</a>; upon his return to New York, he was a first-call sideman for acts including <a href="spotify:artist:6HB1MchEEMg40EisSJuenZ">Betty Carter</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0A9p7WNA1VwxVyrjx92Z9F">Abbey Lincoln</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0V2fyT9oYJQdsePL7VrfwL">Chico Freeman</a>, and also founded his own group, continuing a headlining career that began with the 1975 Steeplechase effort Piano Man. Over the span of acclaimed LPs including 1977's Steppin' Into Beauty, 1988's El Camino (The Road) and 1991's A Moment's Notice, Ruiz honed a Latin jazz fusion approach that resulted in collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:6SPpCqM8gOzrtICAxN5NuX">Tito Puente</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:30Mx3ZadPgGZTcs38FvYP8">Paquito d'Rivera</a>; he also moonlighted in film, contributing to the soundtracks of <a href="spotify:artist:7HPDGnxb8oSBQ0HuNx2xqR">Woody Allen</a>'s Crimes and Misdemeanors and Sam Mendes' Oscar-winning American Beauty, and with Richard Bradley authored 1987's three-volume Jazz and How to Play It. During a visit to New Orleans, where he was scheduled to work on a Hurricane Katrina benefit project, Ruiz suffered a fall in front of a French Quarter bar and slipped into a coma. He never regained consciousness, dying just a week after his 54th birthday on June 6, 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi