Outspoken Trumpeter

Abstract

Ruby Braff was an American jazz trumpeter born in Boston, Massachusetts. He started playing in local clubs in the 1940s. In 1955, Braff was an emerging star trumpeter in the prestigious Down Beat International Jazz Critics poll, possessing a phenomenal style for his age, twenty-eight, for that time. His musical style was reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's, Billie Holiday's, Lester Young's as well as other jazz performers during the 1930s. In an interview, he stated that his ideal record would include a trumpeter, no drums, no bass, and two rhythmic sections, with Clark Terry or Al Haig joining him.