Kermit Ruffins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kermit Ruffins
Ruffins at the 2007 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Background information
Birth name	Kermit Ruffins
Born	(1964-12-19) December 19, 1964 (age 59)
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana U.S.
Genres	Jazz Rhythm and blues
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Trumpet vocals
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Basin Street, Putumayo, Justice
Associated acts	Rebirth Brass Band Danny Barker Dr. Michael White Irvin Mayfield

Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer from New Orleans. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. He often accompanies his songs with his own vocals. Most of his bands perform New Orleans jazz standards though he also composes many of his own pieces. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Ruffins is an unabashed entertainer who plays trumpet with a bright, silvery tone, sings with off-the-cuff charm and never gets too abstruse in his material."

Early life

He started playing trumpet in 8th grade at Lawless Junior High School in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans. He attended Joseph S. Clark High School in the 6th Ward and St Peter Claver Church in Tremé. In high school, he played a little bit of classical music at the behest of a strict band teacher.

He developed an appreciation for cooking from his grandmother, observing her movements in the kitchen.

Career

Rebirth Brass Band

Ruffins co-founded the Rebirth Brass Band in 1983 while attending Clark High School in the Tremé neighborhood. He made his first recordings with the Rebirth band in 1984. The group was inspired by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a band of slightly older musicians credited with bringing influences of funk and contemporary bebop into New Orleans style brass bands. Before they achieved the popularity which allowed them to play regularly in local music venues, the Rebirth often busked around the French Quarter for tips. They soon became a "house band" at the Glass House, previously the Dirty Dozen's home venue. Rebirth once had a gig in New York City at Lone Star Cafe, but they were hassled by police for having no permit when they began marching outdoors as is common practice in New Orleans.

Other work

Ruffins is interviewed on screen and appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film Make It Funky!, which presents a history of New Orleans music and its influence on rhythm and blues, rock and roll, funk and jazz. In the film, he performs "Skokiaan" as part of a trumpet challenge with Irvin Mayfield and Troy Andrews.

He appeared as himself in HBO's Treme as a recurring character.

Ruffins also performed a rendition of The Bare Necessities for Disney's 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, alongside actor Bill Murray.

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  Ruffins (left) with the late Danny Barker at French Quarter Festival, circa 1990

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  Ruffins at Tipitina's, February 2006

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  Ruffins at Old Mint, shown before a set at the Satchmo SummerFest, August 2007

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  Ruffins playing at Cafe Brasil in New Orleans, November 2007

Discography

Filmography

• Make It Funky! (2005), documentary film
• New Orleans Music in Exile (2006), documentary film
• After the Catch (2007)
• Treme (2010)
• The Real World New Orleans (2010)
• The Jungle Book (2016)

See also

• List of people from New Orleans, Louisiana
• Rebirth Brass Band
• Treme (TV Series)