Ruby Braff

Cornetist Ruby Braff's music shows how rich jazz was before the Bebop revolution. Braff may be a retro stylist but the wonderful small-group music he creates is timeless rather than nostalgic. He excels at Dixieland rave-ups, dreamy Traditional Jazz ballads, and mid-tempo Swing numbers. He made a couple of swell records with Tony Bennett in the 1970s and his sides with guitarist Howard Alden are pure heaven.