Ruby Braff

[DMP]

Braff is one of the many artists I've always pretty much ignored. As a kid, in the 'early '60's, I was aware of his reputation, but what little I had to spend on records went to artists like Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. Anyway, I'm enjoying "Girl Crazy," and need to get more. Any recommendations?

[jazzbo]

Lots of good recordings out there! I like his later recordings a lot on Arbor Jazz, etc. --- many of these are available on eMusic.

The Mosaic Single is also quite good, as are the two volumes of recordings with Ellis Larkin that were available on Vanguard.

The recordings in the Mosaic Columbia Small Group Swing collection are excellent, too bad they're not available separatel from the set.

[John Tapscott]

Every Braff Arbors CD I've heard and own is fine. "Watch What Happens" is especially nice.

Perhaps a bit hard to track down now - but "A Sailboat in the Moonlight" with Scott Hamilton on Concord is excellent (I think it's under Hamilton's leadership).

Also "The Canadian Sessions"- a 2 CD set on Sackville has duo performances with Gene DiNovi plus a superb quartet session with Ed Bickert, Don Thompson and Terry Clarke. Really, really good.

[Tom Storer]

I particularly like his duo with Dave McKenna, playing music from "My Fair Lady," and another duo with Roger Kellaway.

[Nate Dorward]

The duo with Roger Kellaway, Inside + Out, is pretty remarkable.

[Ken Dryden]

There are a great series of Ralph Sutton-Ruby Braff meetings at Sunny's (Sutton's wife's place) on Storyville, plus the posthumously issued Arbors DVD with 1988 and 2001 footage.

[Chuck Nessa]

Many outstanding performances on the Vanguard label. The cd reissues are a programming mess but find the duos with Ellis Larkins, the Mel Powell trio date and another Powell date including my favorite version of Gershwin's Liza.

The current Vanguard reissues are in great sound but the programming is maddening. Get the material and program your own cdrs.

Also, look for the Sackville trio date with Ed Bickert.

[Stereojack]

Ruby has a string of fine releases on Concord which can usually be had for short money. I've got most of the Arbors discs as well, and there isn't a dog among them.

[Guest Bill Barton]

...Also, look for the Sackville trio date with Ed Bickert.

[Peter Friedman]

In my view, you are not likely to go wrong with any of Braff's recordings. He was a highly consistent player. His Arbors and Concord recordings are all very good. The things on Vanguard are also terrific. I also agree that his Sackville date with Ed Bickert is excellent.

Braff has been one of my favorite trumpet (actually cornet) players for many years. He was overlooked by many listeners who tended to focus on the bop and hard bop trumpet players while ignoring Ruby's outstanding contributions.

[jazzbo]

Tellin' it like it is!

[thomastreichler]

Braff was a highly consistent player and you generally cannot go wrong with any of his recordings. However my personal favorites are:

Ruby Braff - George Barnes Quartet: Live At The New School (Chiaroscuro)

Ruby Braff - Ellis Larkins: Grand Reunion (Chiaroscuro)

Ruby Braff: Very Sinatra (Red Barron)

Ruby Braff: Live At The Regatta Bar (Arbors)

Ruby Braff - Dick Hyman: America The Beautiful (Concord)

Ruby Braff - Dick Hyman: Play Nice Tunes (Arbors)

Ruby Braff - Roger Kellaway: Inside + Out (Concord)

Ruby Braff: Being With You (Arbors)

[B. Goren.]

Braff was a highly consistent player and you generally cannot go wrong with any of his recordings. However my personal favorites are:

Ruby Braff - George Barnes Quartet: Live At The New School (Chiaroscuro)

Ruby Braff - Ellis Larkins: Grand Reunion (Chiaroscuro)

Ruby Braff: Very Sinatra (Red Barron)

Ruby Braff: Live At The Regatta Bar (Arbors)

Ruby Braff - Dick Hyman: America The Beautiful (Concord)

Ruby Braff - Dick Hyman: Play Nice Tunes (Arbors)

Ruby Braff - Roger Kellaway: Inside + Out (Concord)

Ruby Braff: Being With You (Arbors)

The two volumes recorded at the Regatta Bar are excellent. Also his later recordings with Ellis Larkins: Calling Berlin vol 1 & 2.

[Harold_Z]

Don't miss the Vanguards with Vic Dickenson. Killer!

[gmonahan]

Many outstanding performances on the Vanguard label. The cd reissues are a programming mess but find the duos with Ellis Larkins, the Mel Powell trio date and another Powell date including my favorite version of Gershwin's Liza.

The current Vanguard reissues are in great sound but the programming is maddening. Get the material and program your own cdrs.

Also, look for the Sackville trio date with Ed Bickert.

I sometimes wonder whether Ellis Larkins doesn't deserve the award as the most under-rated pianist of all time. I don't think I have *ever* heard a poor performance by him. Maybe it's because he made his name as a premier accompanist, but he was one fine pianist.

greg mo

[fasstrack]

Braff is one of the many artists I've always pretty much ignored. As a kid, in the 'early '60's, I was aware of his reputation, but what little I had to spend on records went to artists like Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. Anyway, I'm enjoying "Girl Crazy," and need to get more. Any recommendations?

Plays Sinatra (with strings) among a host of others. Just google him. You really can't go wrong. He was an ingenious little pixie with a great musical wit that took Pops and some other heros somewhere very personal. He was also hilarious generally, like on a record date a guy was taking his ax out of the case and he told him 'that's too f%$ing loud already. A guy that worked with Ruby that I know told another guy that was about to and was kinda nervous b/c of Ruby's reputation for a sharp tongue 'you're gonna play with Ruby? Don't worry if he hates you. He hates everybody'....A curmudgeon but with a heart of gold, I think.

The funniest Ruby story I heard was that he was in the hospital in a coma and someone tried to rouse him by playing Pops singing Wonderful World. He woke up, said 'that's a f&*ing alternate take', and went right back under.....

[B. Goren.]

Don't miss the Vanguards with Vic Dickenson. Killer!

Harold, please be more specific: What's the name of this album???

Thanks.

[Harold_Z]

Don't miss the Vanguards with Vic Dickenson. Killer!

Harold, please be more specific: What's the name of this album???

Thanks.

Nice Work is the latest incarnation I'm aware of. As Chuck alluded to earlier - the Vanguard issues divide the sessions up in maddening ways, but in this case it has all the tracks by this band other than one - which appears on another reissue in this series - I believe a Ruby Braff.

[B. Goren.]

Don't miss the Vanguards with Vic Dickenson. Killer!

Harold, please be more specific: What's the name of this album???

Thanks.

Nice Work is the latest incarnation I'm aware of. As Chuck alluded to earlier - the Vanguard issues divide the sessions up in maddening ways, but in this case it has all the tracks by this band other than one - which appears on another reissue in this series - I believe a Ruby Braff.

Thanks a lot.

[carnivore]

Ruby's 1958 RCA album of tunes associated with Berigan is very good - the lineup includes Pee Wee Russell. Benny Morton, Walter Page, and Nat Pierce.

[Matthew]

Am I the only one the really enjoys Ruby Braff & His New England Sounghounds vol. 1 & 2? Both volumes are very enjoyable and Scott Hamilton plays very good on these cds. I highly recommend them.

[mjzee]

Found this on the web:

http://jazztimes.com/articles/20113-ruby-b...old-brash-brass

[mikeweil]

Whatever Ruby Braff album I bought didn't disppoint me. He has one of the most gorgeous sounds one ever coaxed out of a trumpet.

[gmonahan]

The funniest Ruby story I heard was that he was in the hospital in a coma and someone tried to rouse him by playing Pops singing Wonderful World. He woke up, said 'that's a f&*ing alternate take', and went right back under.....

If that story isn't true, it ought to be!

greg mo

[Big Beat Steve]

Don't miss the Vanguards with Vic Dickenson. Killer!

Harold, please be more specific: What's the name of this album???

Thanks.

Nice Work is the latest incarnation I'm aware of. As Chuck alluded to earlier - the Vanguard issues divide the sessions up in maddening ways, but in this case it has all the tracks by this band other than one - which appears on another reissue in this series - I believe a Ruby Braff.

Amazing Vic Dickenson's Vanguards are given such endorsement all of a sudden (not that he wouldn't deserve it....). But if I think of how it took me YEARS and YEARS to at long last manage to sell my duplicate copy of that 70s Vanguard/Vogue (U.K.) 2-LP reissue of his 50s Vanguards 10in LPs (had inadvertently bought it twice - different pressings with different covers) then this makes me wonder ...

Back to topic - I liked all I've heard of Ruby Braff too, but any comments on that late 50s Ruby Braff LP for EPIC with that funny B/W cover showing that Granny clapping enthusiastically to Ruby's horn blowing (forget the exact title - I think it's "BRAFF!" only anyway)?