Ruby Braff

[montg]

Anyone care to comment? I have zero Ruby Braff, so I'm starting at the bottom.

[White Lightning]

montg, start with one of his any one of his piano duets Ellis Larkins (Vanguard).

Then pick up one of his quartet sessions with George Barnes (Cornet-Piano-Guitar-Bass).

You may also want to pick "The Best of Ruby Braff" (Bethlehem) with tracks from a couple of 10" albums recorded in 1955.

[kh1958]

He's terrific. I have a number of his Concord recordings; all are elegant, refined, lyrical, swinging, and very good. His playing is heavlily based on the style of Louis Armstrong, but he nonetheless has an individual and recognizable sound.

[Chuck Nessa]

Though maddeningly programmed, the Vanguard Mel Powell discs contain prime Braff.

[Harold_Z]

...as does the Vangaurd Vic Dickenson disc.

[jazzbo]

Though maddeningly programmed. . . how very true.

Also grab any Black Lion or RCA you see.

[brownie]

Ruby Braff is one those ever-consistant and inspired musicians who provide delights in any of his albums. Can't recall a bad release from him. And to the gratitude of his fans, he recorded prolifically.

When I was not that much of a Braff fan, I stayed away from albums like the duo albums with Dick Hyman when they played the music from 'South Pacific' or 'My Fair Lady'. Don't need those! was my reaction then until somebody called my attention to the marvels in those dates. Now I grab any Braff albums that comes my way.

Another minor delight was the Ruby Braff at Wimbledon sessions. Wimbledon was strictly tennis to me! It's also excellent jazz now.

I love those Braff-piano duets. The ones with Ellis Larkins and Mel Powell have rightfully been mentioned but I also groove on the dates with Roger Kellaway and Gene di Novi.

If things had been right in the USA, Braff would have been made a national treasure!

[chris]

I have a few albums, but the one that comes to mind is "Cornet Chop Suey" -- Concord. He was a cantankerous old bastard, though, wasn't he? Interviews with him were hilarious...

[montg]

Thanks for the helpful replies. You're not kiddin' about the Vanguards. They're sliced up like a cheap salami. As far as I can tell, 7 of the 8 Braff-Powell trios are on one of the Mel Powell reissues (the name escapes me). I happen to have the other Powell Vanguard, with Quinichette..I like it, so the Powell-Braff trios might be a good place to start.

[Chuck Nessa]

The Powell trios with Ruby are important enough to put up with the programming nonsense. One of the Powell discs includes my favorite recording of Liza (great tune) and Braff plays his ass off.

The sound is terrific on the Vanguard reissues and we won't likely get "corrected" versions. Buy 'em all and make your own cdrs.

[chris]

Though maddeningly programmed, the Vanguard Mel Powell discs contain prime Braff.

Is everything here covered on the two discs: "The Best Things in Life" and "It's Been So Long"?

[Joe]

You simply cannot go wrong with any of the Larkins / BRaff duets (there are also reunion discs from the 70's and 90's to consider...) I happen to really, really like these duets with Roger Kellaway...

AS TIME GOES BY (Candid), a trio date with guitarist Howard Alden and bassist Frank Tate, is also very, very fine.

Finally, check out his work with Benny Goodman on this release...

[brownie]

The Powell trios with Ruby are important enough to put up with the programming nonsense. One of the Powell discs includes my favorite recording of Liza (great tune) and Braff plays his ass off.

The sound is terrific on the Vanguard reissues and we won't likely get "corrected" versions. Buy 'em all and make your own cdrs.

The Vanguard catalogue was reissued about ten years ago by the French stores FNAC on their own label. And they did those Mel Powell Trios right when they issued the Ruby Braff and the Paul Quinichette sides on one CD: 'Mel Powell Trios - Borderline - Thigamagig'. Sound was good but probably not as good as a mint Vanguard originals.

The CD came with the following recording information:

'These analog recordings from 1954 were made directly into acetate discs and were not transferred onto tape before 1957. Despire the restoration of the tapes by Cedar treatment, there are still some inherent flaws such as hissing, distortion and analog dropouts'.

The FNAC label reissued quite a large part of the Vanguard jazz sessions but they probably did not sell enough. Those FNAC CDs are not available anymore.

[jazzman4133]

The following Ruby's are in my collection. Some are only available on LP but they represent a long history of his work.

RUBY BRAFF - GEORGE BARNES QUARTET LIVE AT THE NEW SCHOOL

RUBY BRAFF & DICK HYMAN LIVE AT STRUGGLES (This is a live "bootleg")

RUBY BRAFF & DICK HYMAN PLAY NICE TUNES

RUBY BRAFF & ELLIS LARKINS: CALLING BERLIN VOL. 1

RUBY BRAFF & ELLIS LARKINS: CALLING BERLIN VOL. 2

RUBY BRAFF & ELLIS LARKINS: TWO BY TWO

RUBY BRAFF & ROGER KELLAWAY: INSIDE AND OUT

RUBY BRAFF & WOODY HERMAN: IT HAD TO BE US

RUBY BRAFF AND HIS MEN: EASY NOW

RUBY BRAFF AND HIS NEW ENGLAND SONGHOUNDS

RUBY BRAFF AND HIS NEW ENGLAND SONGHOUNDS-VOL. 2

RUBY BRAFF AND SCOTT HAMILTON: A FIRST

RUBY BRAFF OCTET & BOBBY HENDERSON AT NEWPORT

RUBY BRAFF/DICK HYMAN: A PIPE ORGAN RECITAL PLUS ONE

RUBY BRAFF/DICK HYMAN: MUSIC FROM MY FAIR LADY

RUBY BRAFF/DICK HYMAN: MUSIC FROM SOUTH PACIFIC

RUBY BRAFF/ELLIS LARKINS: THE GRAND REUNION

RUBY BRAFF/GEORGE BARNES: TO FRED ASTAIRE WITH LOVE

RUBY BRAFF/RED NORVO-SWING THAT MUSIC

RUBY BRAFF/SCOTT HAMILTON: SAILBOAT IN THE MOONLIGHT

RUBY BRAFF: BEING WITH YOU

RUBY BRAFF: BRAVURA ELOQUENCE

RUBY BRAFF: CONTROLLED NONCHALANCE AT THE REGATTABAR VOL. 1

RUBY BRAFF: CORNET CHOP SUEY

RUBY BRAFF: EACH DAY IS VALENTINE'S DAY

RUBY BRAFF: HEAR ME TALKIN'

RUBY BRAFF: LINGER WHILE

RUBY BRAFF: LIVE AT THE REGATTABAR

RUBY BRAFF: ME, MYSELF AND I

RUBY BRAFF: MR. BRAFF TO YOU

RUBY BRAFF: MUSIC FOR THE STILL OF THE NIGHT

RUBY BRAFF: ON SUNNIE'S SIDE OF THE STREET

RUBY BRAFF: THE BEST OF BRAFF

RUBY BRAFF: THE MIGHTY BRAFF

RUBY BRAFF: VERY SINATRA

RUBY BRAFF\GEORGE BARNES QUARTET PLAYS GERSHWIN

RUBY BRAFF\GEORGE BARNES QUARTET SALUTES RODGERS & HART

RUBY BRAFF-BRAFF!: RUBY BRAFF ALL STARS

RUBY BRAFF-BUDDY TATE WITH THE NEWPORT ALL STARS

RUBY BRAFF-HUSTLIN' AND BUSTLIN'

RUBY BRAFF-THIS IS MY LUCKY DAY

[Dr. Rat]

I would recommend some young Braff. The Bethlehem recording mentioned above is good, as if Braff! on Columbia/Portrait.

There's a disc on RCA with some too-reverby recording which has good performances from Braff and Pee Wee Russell (who sounds really weird with reverb). The RCA is called This Is My Lucky Day.

--eric

[Late]

Listening to these two this morning. Great stuff for rainy weather. (Well, it was raining when I put them on. Now it's let up some.) Beautifully recorded and recommended.