American Jazz Musician Willie Ruff has Died, Aged 92

A double bassist and French horn player, Ruff was a professor at the Yale School of Music for over 40 years

Willie Ruff was born in 1931, in Sheffield, Alabama, as the sixth of eight children. Though there was no radio or music due to the lack of electricity, the Ruff family would often dance, and “the dances made their own rhythm,” Ruff told YaleNews in 2017. 

Playing the piano and drums as a teenager, Ruff soon made his way into the army, where he hoped his drumming skills would earn him a place in a highly regarded all-Black military band. 

However, upon seeing the band’s many drummers, Ruff took up the French horn instead. During this time, he was also taught how to play the stand-up bass by bassist and pianist Dwike Mitchell.

After the army, Ruff was accepted to the Yale School of Music (YSM), where he studied with composer Paul Hindemith, and earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees by 1954.

Though he was considering an opportunity to join the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Ruff joined Lionel Hampton’s band the following year when he saw Mitchell performing with them on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

In 1955, Ruff formed a duo with Mitchell, which lasted until the latter died in 2013. The duo had opened for many jazz luminaries, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Sarah Vaughan.

They also played numerous concerts in schools and colleges, and toured foreign countries where jazz was not well known or even taboo, The New York Times reported.

In 1959, Mitchell and Ruff performed an impromptu set in Moscow while on tour with the Yale Russian Chorus, and their concerts in China in 1981 were considered the first jazz performances there since the Cultural Revolution.

In 1971, Ruff joined the Yale faculty as a professor emeritus and stayed until his retirement in 2017. Yale awarded him an honorary doctorate the following year.

“In speaking to those who have been touched by Willie's presence, I am moved to hear so many stories of the enthusiasm and knowledge he brought to any conversation and performance,” said YSM’s dean José García-León in a tribute post. “The depth of his intellect and humility was inspirational to many at the school. As musicians, I hope we all seek to embody his love of life and hunger for learning.”

Predeceased by his daughter, Michelle, and former spouse, Emma Ruff, Mr. Ruff is survived by a brother and extended family. Our condolences to his family, friends, students, and colleagues.

A short documentary about Mr. Ruff can be viewed below.