Hilton Ruiz - Strut (1988)

Pianist Hilton Ruiz mixes together elements of salsa, r&b, funk and jazz but, instead of his music becoming some type of hybrid, the result is a very danceable variety of jazz that is both accessible and challenging. Ruiz, whose main influence is McCoy Tyner, gathered together a very interesting assortment of players for Strut. Trumpeter Lew Soloff contributes some high notes and leads the horn riffing, trombonist Dick Griffin's extroverted trombone is witty in its short spots, Sam Rivers (mostly on tenor) and percussionist Mongo Santamaria add their sounds to the brew and guitarist Rodney Jones is second only to Ruiz in taking solo honors. It is particularly rewarding to hear a Latin remake of "The Sidewinder" and many of the other good-natured melodies are catchy. Strut should be able to win over both jazz fans and those listeners who claim to not understand or be able to appreciative creative music. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Novus Records, PD83053, 1989
Recorded 30th November & 1st December, 1988 at Studio B, RCA Studios, New York City

Musicians:
Hilton Ruiz - Piano
Lew Soloff - Trumpet
Dick Griffin - Trombone
Sam Rivers - Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax
Rodney Jones - Guitar, Bass (#7)
Francisco Centeno - Electric Bass
Robby Ameen - Drums, Timbales, Percussion (#4,5)
Steve Berrios - Drums (#4,5)
Mongo Santamaria - Congas 

Tracks:
1. The Sidewinder {Lee Morgan} (6:19)
2. Goin' Back To New Orleans {Hilton Ruiz} (10:45)
3. Bluz {Sam Rivers} (4:59)
4. Aged In Soul {William Allen} (4:19)
5. All My Love Is Yours {Dick Griffin} (8:07)
6. Soca Serenade {William Allen} (5:55)
7. Why Don't You Steal My Blues {Bradley Cunningham} (2:34)
8. Lush Life {Billy Strayhorn} (6:24) 

Total Time: 49:24 

Credits:
Producer - Ed Michel
Producer [Series] - Steve Backer
Engineer - Tony May
Disc Mastering - Jack Adelman
Art Direction, Design - Ria Lewerke, Pietro Alfien
Photography - Brian Davis 

Aged In Soul

Hilton Ruiz - Live At Birdland (1992)

Talented Piano Player
Hilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American pianist successful as a leader and as a sideman. I got to see him once in person as part of a Latin Jazz All Stars concert with Dave Valentin and others and it was obvious that the man could play very well. As a leader, he did sets that were traditional jazz, sets that were Latin jazz with Afro/Cuban and salsa influences and sets that were combinations of the two. This set is definitely more of a traditional jazz date with just a modest Latin flavor that was released shortly after his unfortunate passing. Very well done and definitely the work of a gifted and talented musician. ~ K. Cooper, Amazon.com. 

Candid Records, CCD79532, 1992
Recorded 24th-25th June, 1992 Live at Birdland, New York City 

Musicians:
Hilton Ruiz - Piano
David Sanchez, Peter Brainin - Tenor Saxophone
Andy Berrios - Bass
Steve Berrios - Drums
Giovanni Hidalgo - Percussion 

Tracks:
1. Something Grand {Hilton Ruiz} (6:04)
2. New Arrival {Hilton Ruiz} (7:33)
3. Blues For Two Tenors {Hilton Ruiz} (8:31)
4. Mr. Kenyatta {Lee Morgan} (6:25)
5. Lisa {Andy McCloud III} (5:50)
6. A Night In Tunisia {Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli} (5:20)
7. I'll Call You Later {Hilton Ruiz} (6:19)
8. On Green Dolphin Street {Bronislaw Kaper, Ned Washington} (8:16)
9. Footprints {Wayne Shorter} (8:57) 

Total Time: 63:15

Credits:
Producer - Mark Morganelli
Executive Producer - Alan Bates
Engineer - Michael McDonald
Design - Nieves Pascua-Bates
Photography - Mitchell Seidel
Liner Notes - Alfredo Cruz, Jack Hooke 

Note:
CD > WAV, Excess applause trimmed > Optimised > FLAC > Tagged = DR17 

The Greatest Hilton!!!
Hilton Ruiz was a great Latin Jazz piano player. On this album you can appreciate his magnificent talent while performing live. His solos and the beautiful rhythms of Latin and contemporary jazz music are present on this album. There is a lot of energy and a good choice of songs. I highly recommend this album; you won't be disappointed. ~ Edgar C., Amazon.com.

David "Fathead" Newman - Keep The Dream Alive (1978)

An overlooked Jazz-Funk/Soul Jazz classic from the late seventies. As a profoundly versatile musician and composer “Fathead” showcases his agility on flute, alto, tenor and soprano. With the crafty arrangements of William Fischer, Newman turns an interesting mix of well-known pop compositions and other less exposed and challenging tunes into prodigious music. For this album Newman is joined by a sterling array of fine players. With the likes of George Cables, Hilton Ruiz, Lee Ritenour, Wilbur Bascomb Jr., Idris Muhammad the listener is in for an enthusiastic piece of entertainment that doesn’t falter, Enjoy!

Prestige Records, PR 10106, 1978

Recorded 23^rd May-July, 1977 at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California

Musicians:

David "Fathead" Newman - Flute (#A1,A3,B3), Alto Saxophone (#A1,B2,B3),
Tenor Saxophone (#A2-A4), Soprano Saxophone (#B1)

Jeff Davis, Larry Moses - Trumpets

Janice Robinson, Earl McIntyre - Trombones

Ed Xiques - Baritone Saxophone

Kenneth Harris - Flute

George Cables - Electric Rhodes (#A3,A2,B1), Clavinet (#A1,A2),

Acoustic Piano (#A4,B2) Electric Piano [Yamaha Grand] (#B3)

Hilton Ruiz - Electric Rhodes (#A1,B2,B3), Clavinet (#A4,B1), Acoustic Piano (#A2,A3)

Lee Ritenour - Guitar (#A3,B1-B3)

George Davis - Guitar

Wilbur Bascomb, Jr. - Electric Bass

Idris Muhammad - Drums

Bill Summers - Percussion (Except #B1)

Yvonne Fletcher - Vocals

Renee Manning - Vocals (Except #A2)

William Fischer - Conductor

Tracks:

A1. Keep The Dream Alive {David "Fathead" Newman} (5:37)

A2. Destiny {David Batteau, Richard Holland} (4:47)

A3. Silver Morning {Kenny & Yvonne Rankin} (3:30)

A4. Freaky Beat {David "Fathead" Newman, William Fischer} (5:37)

B1. I Am Singing {Stevie Wonder} (6:30)

B2. Clouds {Durval Ferreira, Maurício Einhorn} (5:57)

B3. As Good As You Are {William Fischer} (6:18)

Credits:

Producer - Orrin Keepnews

Producer, Arranger - William Fischer

Recording Engineer - Eddie Bill Harris

Recording & Remix Engineer - Steve Williams

Assistant & Remix Engineer - Dan Kopelson

Mastering Engineer - John Golden

Art Direction - Phil Carroll

Photography - Phil Bray

Design - Dennis Gassner