Ruby Braff

Reuben "Ruby" Braff was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist born on March 16, 1927, in Boston, Massachusetts, of Jewish heritage. His style drew from an idiom rooted in the playing of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke, and Jack Teagarden, when asked about Braff on the Garry Moore television show, described him as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong."

Braff began performing in local clubs during the 1940s. In 1949 he joined the Edmond Hall Orchestra at the Savoy Cafe in Boston. He moved to New York City in 1953, where he became a sought-after musician for band dates and recording sessions. In 1955 he made his Broadway appearance in the musical Pipe Dream. That same year he appeared as a sideman on Buck Clayton's Jumpin' at the Woodside for Columbia Records and released several albums as a leader on the Bethlehem label, including Ruby Braff Swings, Holiday in Braff, and Ball at Bethlehem with Braff.

His recording output across subsequent decades was extensive. Early sessions included Buck Meets Ruby with Buck Clayton for Vanguard in 1954 and Jazz at Storyville, Vols. 1 and 2 with Pee Wee Russell for Savoy in 1955. He recorded Hi-Fi Salute to Bunny for RCA Victor in 1957 and Ruby Braff Goes 'Girl Crazy' for Warner Bros. in 1958. During the 1970s he co-led the Ruby Braff–George Barnes Quartet, which produced recordings for Chiaroscuro and Concord Jazz, among them The Ruby Braff–George Barnes Quartet Salutes Rodgers and Hart and The Ruby Braff–George Barnes Quartet Plays Gershwin, both from 1974. He also maintained a long collaborative relationship with pianist Ellis Larkins, documented across multiple recordings including The Grand Reunion for Chiaroscuro in 1972 and the Arbors releases Calling Berlin, Vols. 1 and 2.

As a sideman, Braff appeared on sessions with Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Woody Herman, Milt Hinton, Dick Hyman, and George Wein, among others. His later career was documented extensively on the Arbors label, with releases continuing into the early 2000s, including Ruby Braff Remembers Louis Armstrong: Being with You in 1997 and Music for the Still of the Night in 2001.

Braff spent a significant portion of his life in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York City, and later resided in Harwich, Massachusetts. He died on February 9, 2003, in Chatham, Massachusetts, from complications of emphysema, heart failure, and glaucoma.