Ruby Braff
For The Last Time: His Final Performance
Arbors Records
By George W. Harris

Ron Hockett Quintet
Finally Ron
Arbors Records
By George W. Harris

All right, everyone, repeat after me, “Tone is everything.” If you understand that, everything else in jazz gets easier. The more you listen to jazz, the less enamored are all the mindless double time solos, the stratospheric extravaganzas, and egregious sound effects. Just give me someone with a nice tone, and I’m willing to go anywhere with him. The case in point are these two recent releases by Arbors.

Cornetist Ruby Braff, who left us Feb 9, 2003 at the tender age of 76, had one of the most beautiful sounds in all of jazz. He went out swinging, as his last studio release (…and the Flying Pizzarellis) and this, his last recorded concert, well attest. Taken from an August 7 2002 gig in Nairn, Scotland, this show features Braff in the company of three other well toned musicians: tenorist Scott Hamilton, guitarist Jon Wheatley and pianist John Bunch. Together, with adroitly swinging support by Dave Green/b and Steve Brown/dr, they burn like late night fireplace embers on inspiringly beautiful versions of standards like “Sometimes I’m Happy” and “The Man I Love.” Braff, the whole evening, but particularly during his spotlight performance of “Why Shouldn’t I?D is simply luminous. Hamilton, as well, is velvety snug on “The Man With A Horn.” Their interplay back and forth, along with Wheatley’s rich guitar picking (as on “Dinah”), is a balm for the ears.

As far as tone for the clarinet goes, it’s a lot like Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It’s a personal thing, but some are accused of being too bright (Jimmy Noone, early Goodman), others of being too cool (Jimmy Giuffre, Buddy DeFranco). It’s hard to please everyone. Ron Hockett, playing for 29 years in the US Marine band, as well as 9+ years n the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in Texas, has a nice warm sound, and knows how to use it on this better-late-than-never debut recording. Driven by the indefatigable Jake Hanna on drums, and well supported by John Sheridan/p, James Chirillo/g and Phil Flanigan/b, Hockett displays grace on the stick (and soprano sax) on a beautiful “Nuages,” a cleverly bossa nova’d “My Ideal” and an embracing “Reverie.” Chirillo gives some lovely support on “Gone With The Wind,” while Hanna is just full of gumption on “If Dreams Come True.” What took this guy so long? Hopefully a sophomore re lease is coming soon. A great discovery!