Willie Ruff
Acoustic Bass
December 24, 2023 (Age 92) died
September 1, 1931 Birthday
Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. Birthplace
www.willieruff.com Website
Social
About
Willie Henry Ruff Jr. was a renowned American jazz musician, educator, and scholar who specialized in the French horn and double bass. Ruff's professional career began when his old Army pal and pianist Dwike Mitchell invited him to join him Lionel Hampton's band. Soon after, Mitchell and Ruff formed their own duo, which lasted 50 years, produced a dozen recordings, and led to performances around the world, including in the Soviet Union and China. In 1971 Ruff joined the faculty at Yale, his alma mater. He taught at Yale for 46 years and founded the Duke Ellington Fellowship program, which sponsored guest artists and brought music education to New Haven public schools. In 2013, he received the Sanford Medal, the Yale School of Music's highest honor. Willie Ruff passed away in 2023 at the age of 92.
Trivia
Willie Ruff decided to apply to the Yale School of Music after hearing saxophonist Charlie Parker say that, if given the chance, he would study with Paul Hindemith, who taught composition at Yale. Willie Ruff played bass on Leonard Cohen's 1967 album "Songs of Leonard Cohen. In 1979 Willie Ruff and Yale professor John Rodgers, released "Harmony of the World" a a musical realization of Johannes Kepler's astronomical theories presented in his 1619 work "Harmonices Mundi."
Early Life
Born in Sheffield, Alabama, in 1931, Willie Ruff grew up in a home without electricity, the sixth of eight children. As a child he learned to play the drums and piano, but his musical education began in earnest when he joined the US Army. He enlisted at age 14, after lying about his age, and hoped to join the Army band as a drummer, but after seeing the number of prospective drummers he took up the French horn instead. While at Lockbourne Air Base in Ohio, Ruff met pianist Dwike Mitchell who encouraged him to learn the double bass in addition to the French horn. The two musicians began playing together and would go on to have a long lasting collaboration. After completing his service, Ruff studied music at Yale, earning a Bachelor's degree followed by a Master's degree in 1954.
Willie Ruff Solos
1971
Acoustic Bass solo - Ships with Sails - 1971
3/4 rock in A minor at 153 BPM