Hilton Ruiz Dies

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Hilton Ruiz died on June 6 in New Orleans after falling into a coma two weeks ago. He was 54.

The New York-born pianist had studied classical, jazz and Latin music as a child. While he worked with the city’s Latin and soul bands as a teenager, Ruiz had also been a sideman for Frank Foster, Joe Newman and Freddie Hubbard by the time he was in his early twenties. He would go on to form lasting collaborations with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Tito Puente, Ismael Rivera and many others.

Ruiz’s own recordings as a leader include El Camino , A Moment’s Notice and Tribute To Puente .



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