Born in New York City on May 29, 1952, Hilton Ruiz was a jazz pianist of Puerto Rican descent. He specialized in Afro-Cuban jazz and be-bop. Inspired by the music of Duke Ellington, he began playing piano at the age of five. Three years later, he performed the music of Mozart at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in NYC. By the time he was in his early 20s, he was performing with jazz greats such as Roland Kirk and Clark Terry. He also worked with such luminaries as Betty Carter, Mongo Santamaria, and Tito Puente. Hilton Ruiz released Piano Man, his debut album as a leader, in 1975. Further albums in his catalog include New York Hilton (1977), Cross Currents (1984), Strut (1989), Heroes (1993), Island Eyes (1997), Enchantment (2003), and Steppin’ with T.P. – Dedicated to Tito Puente (2005). Hilton Ruiz can be heard on the soundtrack to Woody Allen’s 1989 motion picture Crimes and Misdemeanors. He also was a trusted sideman, working on albums by Abbey Lincoln, Dizzy Gillespie, Paquito D’Rivera, Chico Freeman, and others. Hilton Ruiz died after an accidental fall on June 6, 2006 while in New Orleans, Louisiana.
