Jazz trumpeter Ruby Braff dies at 75

CHATHAM, Mass. (Jazz magazine) - Ruby Braff, a jazz trumpeter and cornetist who rose to fame in the modern era despite an old-fashioned style, died on Sunday in Chatham, on Cape Cod. He was 75.

A cause of death was not announced but a spokesman for Arbors Records, which released much of his most recent work, told The New York Times that Braff, of Harwich, had battled lung disease for years.

In the early and mid-1950's, Braff became known not only for his tone and his lyrical approach to improvisation, but also for his devotion to a style of jazz that had fallen out of vogue. In an era when most young trumpet players were influenced by Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, Braff was a throwback to the sounds of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke.

Reuben Braff was born in Boston on March 16, 1927. A self-taught musician, he began working locally at nightclubs and parties in the 1940s, earning a long engagement as a sideman with Edmond Hall at Boston's Savoy Cafe in 1949.

After moving to New York in 1953, Braff performed and recorded regularly with some of the era's best-known musicians. He gained a loyal following and received some admiring reviews, but in the ensuing years the popularity of more modern styles threatened to confine him to obscurity.

Braff returned to prominence in the 1960's when he toured with the Newport All Stars, a group led by promoter and pianist George Wein, who was among his biggest boosters. He also worked with singer Tony Bennett before forming a quartet with guitarist George Barnes in 1973.