Cover Story - The Life and Death of Hilton Ruiz (cont'd)
“A group of people went out there together,”
explains Aida. “But one person, Rahsaan
Roland Kirk, would prove to be very influential
on my father when it came to developing
his talent as a Jazz Musician.”
“Rahsaan used to play at New York’s The
Village Gate and The Vanguard and all those
jazz clubs that were prominent at the time,”
she recalls. “[Hilton] would just jump in and
ask to play. Rahsaan noticed his talent and
brought him into the Jazz scene, it was from
there that they went to Europe.”
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was a well-known
Jazz musician who had long established
himself in the Jazz circuit and played with
greats like Charles Mingus and Herbie Hancock.
He also recorded with musical pioneer,
Quincy Jones.
Though Hilton toured Europe for the first time at 18, he went back a countless number of times throughout his career, taking over 30 trips alone with Kirk, who would eventually pass away in 1977 at the age of 41.
Life on the Road/Roots at Home
The clinking glasses and not-so-quiet murmur
of voices thickened the air. We were
way passed the asopao, and moved onto a
more subtle salad. It was obvious that Aida
enjoyed the art of storytelling. She appeared
almost childlike in her candor as she relayed
anecdotes about Hilton’s teenage years.
The ambition shown by such a young man
was indeed impressive and we continued to
discuss Mr. Ruiz’s burgeoning career.
“That was his first trip, but from then on
he [Hilton] would come and go, staying on
the road for about six weeks at a time,” she
remembers.
It seemed Hilton had a love/hate relationship
with life on the road, but nevertheless
his interest and passion for Jazz flourished
both in Europe and in his many travels
worldwide.
“I think he loved life on the road. He even
traveled one or two days after 9/11!” she
rejoices. “As soon as they let commercial
flights back in the air, he was back on a
plane traveling to a gig in Mexico…”
“He loved France and Monaco. But going
to Puerto Rico…that was like traveling
to see family. He didn’t even consider those
gigs in PR,” Aida explains. “He often played
for free because he loved the island so much.
He frequented countries like Lebanon, Dubai
and Israel. He loved Israel and he loved to
go to the “Holy Land” in Jerusalem.”
According to Aida, Hilton would head out
on “A Moment’s Notice” (the title of an 80’s
Ruiz track), yet all the traveling could not
compare with what Hilton called his favorite
place,
“When Dad was asked for his favorite place to be in the world...he said, ‘On my couch watching TV, in my home in Teaneck New Jersey,’” she smiled.
Perhaps Hilton’s affinity for home had to
do with his family. According to Aida, Hilton
would often bring back all kinds of gifts.
There were shawls and fans for his mother,
jewelry from all over the world for little Aidita
and for his wife, French perfumes that had
not yet hit the U.S. market.
Hilton Ruiz met his future wife Aida Martinez at the very popular New York City hotspot, “The Cheetah” while performing as the pianist for Salsero, Ismael Rivera. Daughter Aida referred to her parents as “soul mates”; two people who met and fell in love at a young age and remained close even through their eventual divorce.
Hilton was consumed by the need to help
the people and the city to which he felt so
connected. Not long after, Hilton spent three
days working in the studio and came back
with a lively and highly integrated production.
“The arrangements of the compositions
were phenomenal. There was Yomo Toro on
the cuatro, (Four-string guitar, used in traditional
Puerto Rican and other Caribbean
music forms) Lou Zolof on the trumpet, Dafnis
Prieto on the drums…he really got that
mix of cultures in there…he told the guys:
‘This is what we are gonna do. Y’all gonna
play rice and beans (traditional Laitno food),
and y’all gonna play red beans and rice (traditional
Creole/New Orleans dish)!’
Hilton was extremely excited about this
project and when recordings wrapped in
May of 2006, all that was left to do was finally
head down to New Orleans to record
some footage for the DVD component. The
idea was to talk to people living in New Orleans
and give the project a personal element.
On May 18th, 2006 Hilton and a small
crew boarded a plane and flew south to New
Orleans to tour the French Quarter.
“They arrived on the 18th and they toured the city. My father began to meet people on the street, and before long there was a crowd of people around him, he was having a ball,” says Aida, as her voice trails off.
In The Wake of One Tragedy, Yet Another…
The slight quiver in the tone of Aida’s voice had returned, and for good reason. She was about to explain to the best of her ability what took place in the evening leading to her father’s injuries; Injuries so severe that he would never regain consciousness, injuries that would eventually take his life.
What happened on the evening of May
18th remains unclear. Initial reports claimed
that Hilton Ruiz had been found on May
19th around 3am. He was alone and unconscious,
lying in a pool of blood on Bourbon
Street. Ruiz had sustained severe head injuries
and initially appeared to be the victim of
some sort of brutal attack. He was taken to
East Jefferson Hospital where he remained
in a comatose state until June 6, 2006, the
day he died.
Oddly, the death of Hilton Ruiz remains
a mystery for those closest to him while at
the same time a closed cased for the City of
New Orleans. The New Orleans Police Department
ruled that his death was the result
of an accidental fall. Surveillance cameras
had captured Ruiz exiting his last known location,
Club Utopia. He was stumbling and
indeed fell on the infamous New Orleans
Street. However, this determination directly
contrasts the preliminary findings of both
the Police Department and the doctors at
the hospital who treated him. NOPD initially
labeled Ruiz as an apparent assault victim
and a member of the medical team who
treated Ruiz stated that he perceived the injuries
sustained were as a result of trauma to
the face with a blunt object.
Ruiz suffered multiple and severe facial
fractures.
“I didn’t recognize him, and I got there
less than 48 hours after he was brought into
the hospital. There was no way to have an
open-casket funeral for my father without
reconstructive surgery to his face,” remembers
Aida.
On May 19th a doctor from the East Jefferson hospital left Aida several voicemails, stating that her father was in critical condition.
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