Born to Play
The Ruby Braff Discography and Directory of Performances
By (author) Thomas P. Hustad Foreword by Dan Morgenstern director, Institute of Ja
Publication date:
03 May 2012Length of book:
722 pagesPublisher
Scarecrow PressDimensions:
236x161mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780810882645
Jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden once referred to Ruby Braff as the “Ivy League'sLouis Armstrong.” That legacy of great trumpet performance and recording is brought to readers in Thomas Hustad’s Born to Play: The Ruby Braff Discography and Directory of Performances. Braff’s uncompromising standards, musical taste, and creative imagination informed his consummate artistry in creating music beautifully played. He achieved swiftly what few musicians accomplish in a lifetime by developing a unique and immediately recognizable style. For a reminder of that we need but play any of the more than 150 released recordings on which he appears. These records span a total of 54 years, from 1949 to 2002, a feat almost unmatched in jazz recording. This was five years longer than even Louis Armstrong.
Although prepared in discographical style, capturing information about both commercial recordings and previously undocumented performances, Born to Play serves as a biography of the artist, detailing the path he paved as a performer and featuring personal recollections of his musical career with commentary from other figures. Images over the course of his half century of playing fill out this comprehensive survey of Braff's performing and recording career. This bio-discography of the man who jazz drumming legend Buddy Rich declared “one of my favorite trumpeters” and singing giant Tony Bennett described as “my great friend who now holds the reigning position of the best cornet player in the world” is sure to be of interest to jazz fans and scholars alike.
Although prepared in discographical style, capturing information about both commercial recordings and previously undocumented performances, Born to Play serves as a biography of the artist, detailing the path he paved as a performer and featuring personal recollections of his musical career with commentary from other figures. Images over the course of his half century of playing fill out this comprehensive survey of Braff's performing and recording career. This bio-discography of the man who jazz drumming legend Buddy Rich declared “one of my favorite trumpeters” and singing giant Tony Bennett described as “my great friend who now holds the reigning position of the best cornet player in the world” is sure to be of interest to jazz fans and scholars alike.
In this discography of jazz trumpeter Ruby Braff (1927-2003), Hustad intends to make all of Braff's extensive recording history available in one easy-to-use resource. Braff is known for his unique style and for having one of the longest recording histories in jazz history—from 1949-2002. In that span of 54 years Braff played on more than 105 released recordings. The book is first and foremost a discography of Braff's commercial and undocumented performances, with many of the entries providing extensive annotations. The book also serves as a biography to Braff's life as it provides details of the musician's life as a performer and includes personal memories from others in the field. The 22 chapters are names to indicate various periods of Braff's life and career; for example, "Ruby's Growing Jazz Stardom," "Tony Bennett and the New York Club," and "Ruby's Final Tour: Honoring His Audience until the End." The work concludes with an appendix of album notes, and musician and song indexes. This volume is a valuable addition to this series and will be a worthwhile purchase for academic and large public libraries.