Prayers for Hilton Ruiz

Lois Gilbert · May-23rd-2006, 11:36 PM

I just received this from Katherine Stubblefield

Hilton Ruiz is in a New Orleans hospital in a coma. I need to send out
an email message to be passed on telling people what has happened and
to ask for everyone's prayers and healing thoughts.

He has been in hospital five days now... that would be he went in on
Friday, 19 May. He was punched hard in the face, all his face bones
were broken, he collapsed, was taken in ambulance to hospital, on route
he had cardiac arrest..... Hilton is in a coma, on life support in
intensive care unit of a New Orleans hospital. The condition is
extremely serious. The doctors are taking very good care of him.

I have spoken to Aida his wife, and to Aida his daughter, who are both
there with him, by his side, holding his hand, speaking to him, pouring out their love and asking him to pull through. Both Aida's ask that everyone pray for Hilton's recovery. We also ask that prayers be for them, sending them
strength and courage for all they are going through. Send LOVE, the
greatest healer of all.

On Wednesday, 17 May, here in New York City, Hilton had just finished a
recording dedicated to and to benefit the musicians and people of New
Orleans, who had suffered so terribly from the effects of Hurricaine
Katrina last year. He then flew down to New Orleans to make a
promotion video for the recording. We are all truly shocked and
devastated at learning that he is now in such a dire situation.

Let us let the universe know that we believe Hilton is strong and will
soon be back in New York City and at his home in New Jersey surrounded
by the many who love and cherish him.

kedoane · May-23rd-2006, 11:46 PM

I have him in my prayers tonight.

Gerardo A · May-23rd-2006, 11:49 PM

Thanks for passing on the news, Lois. I hope everything goes well for him and his family. I'm thinking about him right now, and sending him the best.

Ron Thorne · May-24th-2006, 12:02 AM

Likewise, I have Hilton in my thoughts, and hope that the care he is receiving along with the healing vibes will help pull him through.

What irony. He's doing what he does best to help victims and becomes one himself. That sucks!

Gary Sisco · May-24th-2006, 07:12 AM

Oh, man. What in the world happened?

I have a wonderful memory of him playing -- and playing superbly -- with David Murray's (unrecorded) Octet performing Ellington and Strayhorn rarities. He was stellar that night.

My deepest wishes for recovery and for comfort for his family and friends.

Chazro · May-24th-2006, 08:38 AM

This sucks, I'm curious to the circumstances surrounding the punch, to sustain the type of damage described sounds more like he was hit with a baseball bat, and then a cardiac arrest! Really ,really bad.

I'm praying for you Maestro.

Tom Storer · May-24th-2006, 09:05 AM

Best wishes for recovery to Hilton Ruiz, a stellar pianist. I first heard him live in a quartet with Marion Brown 25 years ago or more and he was (and remained) elegance personified. Here's hoping he pulls through.

Chazro, the "punch" might not have been meant literally, since Lois said he was in a car accident.

rollhead · May-24th-2006, 09:14 AM

This is in today's Daily News:

Jazz big found in pool of blood in Big Easy

Latin jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz, one of New York's most prominent Afro-Cuban musicians, is fighting for his life in a New Orleans hospital after suffering massive head injuries in a mysterious incident.
Ruiz, 53, was in the Big Easy to film a video for a new CD he just recorded when he stopped into a bar called Utopia on world-famous Bourbon St. in the early hours of Friday.

Police found him unconscious in the street in a pool of his own blood at 4:30 a.m. - and he's been in a coma ever since, friends said.

The initial police report listed the cause of his injury as a fall, but cops are now investigating whether Ruiz was assaulted. "Doctors said there was no way it was a fall unless it occurred from a very high floor," said the musician's agent, Joel Chriss.

The agent said it appears Ruiz suffered "some very dangerous blows to the head."

Tracy Connor

Gentle Giant · May-24th-2006, 09:22 AM

Bad voodoo, man. May all go well.

Peace, Hilton.

Gary Sisco · May-24th-2006, 09:31 AM

Damn.

hornplayer · May-24th-2006, 10:14 AM

What awful news! My prayers and thoughts are going out right now...

groover · May-24th-2006, 11:01 AM

Tragic news! Poor Hilton!

Praying for his recovery.

bumzella · May-24th-2006, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lois Gilbert

I heard yesterday that Hilton was in a car accident. I just received this from Katherine Stubblefield

Hilton Ruiz is in a New Orleans hospital in a coma. I need to send out
an email message to be passed on telling people what has happened and
to ask for everyone's prayers and healing thoughts.

He has been in hospital five days now... that would be he went in on
Friday, 19 May. He was punched hard in the face, all his face bones
were broken, he collapsed, was taken in ambulance to hospital, on route
he had cardiac arrest..... Hilton is in a coma, on life support in
intensive care unit of a New Orleans hospital. The condition is
extremely serious. The doctors are taking very good care of him.

I have spoken to Aida his wife, and to Aida his daughter, who are both
there with him, by his side, holding his hand, speaking to him, pouring out their love and asking him to pull through. Both Aida's ask that everyone pray for Hilton's recovery. We also ask that prayers be for them, sending them
strength and courage for all they are going through. Send LOVE, the
greatest healer of all.

On Wednesday, 17 May, here in New York City, Hilton had just finished a
recording dedicated to and to benefit the musicians and people of New
Orleans, who had suffered so terribly from the effects of Hurricaine
Katrina last year. He then flew down to New Orleans to make a
promotion video for the recording. We are all truly shocked and
devastated at learning that he is now in such a dire situation.

Let us let the universe know that we believe Hilton is strong and will
soon be back in New York City and at his home in New Jersey surrounded
by the many who love and cherish him.

Just finding out this horriffic news is debilitating. I just saw Hilton, in Atlanta last year at the Atlanta Jazz Festival while visiting my parents. I first met him when I was about eight years old at the Village Vanguard (my mom took me to see my uncle John (Hicks) and he introduced me to Mr. Ruiz. What a wonderful soul. I pray for him and his lovely wife and daughter.
God Bless Him!!

Clay Fink · May-24th-2006, 02:36 PM

Awful. He's always been one of my favorites. Saw him a couple of year ago with Chico Freeman and he was burning up the keys, as usual.

Lois Gilbert · May-24th-2006, 02:59 PM

Jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz in critical condition
(New Orleans-AP, May 24, 2006) - Jazz pianist and composer Hilton Ruiz was in critical condition Wednesday, nearly a week after he was found unconscious on Bourbon Street, his skull and many bones in his face broken, according to his agent.

No injuries were reported to other parts of Ruiz's body, said Joel Chriss, Ruiz's agent and manager. He said Ruiz's heart stopped on the way to the hospital, but he was resuscitated.
Ruiz, whose 54th birthday is May 29, has been unconscious since he was found about 4:30 a.m. Friday after leaving a local bar, Chriss said from New York in a telephone interview.

He said he has been told that the initial police report said Ruiz had fallen.

"The doctors apparently said that's unlikely, given the nature of his injuries," said Chriss.

Bob Young, a police spokesman, said that as of Wednesday morning, he had no report involving Ruiz.

"One could easily draw the conclusion that he was attacked, though lawyers have asked us not to characterize it that way because we have no proof," Chriss said. "We have no suspect, no weapon."

Keith Darcey, a spokesman for East Jefferson General Hospital, said Ruiz remained in critical condition Wednesday. Privacy rules kept the hospital from giving any details, he said.

Uli · May-24th-2006, 03:03 PM

Here is hope that Mr. Ruiz is pulling through.

Listening to the wonderful album El Camino for the 2nd time to day.

rene · May-25th-2006, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uli

Here is hope that Mr. Ruiz is pulling through.

Listening to the wonderful album El Camino for the 2nd time to day.

Thinking of Mr. Ruiz, i'm always reminded of El Camino. 'Eastern Vibrations', on this album shows how well he can play from bop to free jazz.

Wishing him fast recovery!

John L · May-25th-2006, 06:20 AM

All the best for a speedy recovery!

Dennis Gonzalez · May-25th-2006, 09:47 AM

This is a very strange and sad story...I posted a new thread about it day before yesterday, and it disappeared from here???

Yahoo! News had a big article from the Times Picayune stating that Hilton had been found severely beaten, or that he had fallen, and for a while, it was not known who he was. Apparently he was found along Bourbon Street after coming out of the Utopia Bar in really bad shape...doesn't sound like a car accident to me, unless Hilton left the accident in a daze and left his car, but where was his car, then?

I saw Hilton with Rahsaan back in the 70's. What a great musician. What a tragic story.

Gary Sisco · May-25th-2006, 10:13 AM

And the most mysterious one since Jaki.

jazzy mary · May-25th-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

And the most mysterious one since Jaki.

Yes! Was that ever solved? I hope Hilton gets well.

Gerardo A · May-25th-2006, 10:54 AM

I don't want to throw more wood into the fire (as they say in México), but I got this message today (from the Jazz Mestizo mailing list). Anyway I'm sending more wishes for Hilton's recovery.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ned Sublette
> Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 10:29 AM
> To: Ned Sublette
> Subject: 05/24/06:NOT-P and NY Daily News: Hilton Ruiz severely beaten
> in New Orleans
>
> There are a lot of questions here.
>
> Number one, who did it?
>
> Number two, why did this story take so long to come out?
>
> Somebody -- or somebodies -- beat Hilton Ruiz severely and left him
> in the street.
>
> Assuming the report in the Daily News is accurate, why did the
> initial police report list the cause of his injury as a fall?
>
> This happened early Friday morning, that is, Thursday night, the
> 18th? And the first thing in the press is this morning,
> five days later, in the New York Daily News, on the other side of the
> country? The less informative Times-Picayune story, which was the
> second to appear, says the police learned about this from inquiries from
> news organizations?
>What's up with that? Why would the police not know about the incident?
> The Daily News story says the police found him lying in the street.
> Which is it?
>
> Which takes us back to number one: who did this?
>
> For reference, Utopia is the Bourbon Street bar where on May 9 a man
> attacked three women in the club and then shot and killed a man outside
> the club who came to their aid.
>http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf...38920.xml?nola
>
> According to that article, the place has surveillance cameras inside and
> outside.

Ron Thorne · May-25th-2006, 04:37 PM

Gerardo-

You may want to edit your post above and remove the e-mail address shown for Ned Sublette. Internet creeps love finding a new address to play with.

Thanks for sharing the message, amigo.

What a bizarre, tragic event.

Gerardo A · May-25th-2006, 05:05 PM

No problem, hermano Ron, fixed it. Thanks for pointing it out.

And yeah, more wishes for Hilton's recovery.

Lois Gilbert · May-26th-2006, 03:59 AM

Jazz pianist's injuries an accident
Family thinks he fell on street
Friday, May 26, 2006
By Trymaine Lee
Staff writer
A week after he was found unconscious in a pool of blood on Bourbon Street, jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz remained in critical condition Thursday, but his family members said they no longer suspect he was attacked.

Ruiz's relatives are satisfied with the New Orleans Police Department's account of the incident as an accident, said Mary Howell, a local lawyer and spokeswoman for the Ruiz family.

"Mr. Ruiz was on Bourbon Street and stumbled while walking across the street, hitting his face on the side of the curb," NOPD spokeswoman Bambi Hall said.

"The evidence is clear. No one beat him, no one robbed him and there was no criminal act whatsoever," Hall said.

For nearly a week, rumors that the famed jazzman was beaten after leaving a Bourbon Street bar had circulated from coast to coast. Newspaper reports quoted family and friends questioning police reports that Ruiz stumbled and fell, hitting his head.

"There were a lot of different accounts that the family investigated," Howell said Thursday. "The family is now convinced that this was an accident, a tragic accident."

Howell said the family is "very appreciative" of the efforts shown by NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley in getting to the bottom of Ruiz's condition.

Ruiz, whose 54th birthday is Monday, was found unconscious and bleeding May 19 about 4:30 a.m.

Ruiz's heart stopped on the way to the hospital, but he was resuscitated, according to Joel Chriss, Ruiz's longtime friend and manager.

Howell said Ruiz remained in critical condition Thursday night at East Jefferson General Hospital. Ruiz, of Teaneck, N.J., was in the city for radio and television interviews promoting a pending CD showcasing New Orleans music, Chriss said.

Ruiz is renowned in jazz circles for his Afro-Cuban jazz and bop music. His teachers included jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams, and he spent four years working with saxophone player Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

"I'm incredibly saddened," Chriss said. "But I'm trying to stay positive. We all know the reality may not turn out well. I know he wanted to live long and play music until he was an old man. The fact that that may not happen is very sad."

The accident has taken an emotional toll on the family, especially on Ruiz's ex-wife who is his best friend, Chriss said. Chriss said she's "a mess" right now and "that no one in the world knows either one of them better than the other." Those close to Ruiz said they're hoping the beat will go on for the one-time child prodigy, who at 8 years old played a gig at Carnegie Recital Hall.

Ruiz was performing with Latin groups in his early teens. His first recording, at age 14, was with a group called Ray Jay and the East Siders. While still in his teens, Ruiz worked with tenor saxophonists Frank Foster and Joe Henderson and trumpeters Joe Newman, Freddie Hubbard and Cal Massey.

The many musicians with whom he has since worked have included Tito Puente, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Mingus.

He was among musicians featured on the 1997 video "The Best of Latin Jazz," and his song "Something Grand" is part of the "American Beauty" soundtrack.

"We're all praying for a miracle," Chriss said. "Where there is breath there is hope."

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/metro/i...2328918280.xml

gonzo · May-26th-2006, 09:36 PM

hilton has given me hours of joy in my life with his talent. you will be in my prayers tonight hilton.

Lois Gilbert · May-27th-2006, 12:56 AM

Hilton's wife asked that checks be sent to Joel Chriss & Co.
300 Mercer Street
NY, NY 10003.

All checks should be made out to Joel Chriss & Co. and marked @ the bottom of the check Hilton Ruiz Recovery Fund. Thanks very much.

BFrank · May-27th-2006, 01:24 AM

I always liked this album with Buster Williams and Billy Higgins.

Ron Thorne · May-27th-2006, 02:44 AM

My imagination has been working overtime on this tragedy, but I'll not speculate further at this time.

Suffice it to say that this event has had an enormous impact on several different "communities", and I'm hopeful that an equally enormous impact will be made by Hilton Ruiz's prompt and full recovery.

Mike Schwartz · May-31st-2006, 02:33 PM

The publicist, photographer, and all around good guy Dr. Jazz, who followed through magnificently in setting up & sending photo get well messages to Michael Brecker is doing the same for Hilton for the comfort of the family and with hope Hilton's return out of coma.

The on-air hosts at KSJS gathered yesterday and took a group photo with a get well message and display of a number of Ruiz' fine recordings.