Willie Ruff Jr. (on French horn, left) and his musical partner Dwike Mitchell have been performing together for over four decades, and have educated others around the world about jazz.

An evening of jazz celebrates the spirit of collaboration

The joint achievements of the New Haven and Yale communities were celebrated in a special concert March 23 that highlighted a musical duo famous for uniting "town" and "gown." The Mitchell-Ruff Duo -- made up of renowned Yale French horn player and bassist Willie H. Ruff Jr. and his partner, pianist Dwike Mitchell -- performed in the invitation-only concert, held in Sprague Memorial Hall and billed as "A Special Celebration of New Haven and Yale." Also featured were the Trinity Boys Choir and student musicians from New Haven and Yale, who joined together for performances of jazz classics. Sponsored by Bruce Alexander, vice president of the Office of New Haven and State Affairs (ONHSA), and Michael Morand, associate vice president of ONHSA, the event was a musical celebration of collaborations between the New Haven community and Yale to make New Haven a good city in which to study, work and live, Morand says. Opening the performance were nine-year-old drummer Jimmy McBride and three Yale students -- saxophonist Matthew Clayton III '02, pianist Brandon Smith '02 and bassist and School of Music student Sean McClowry -- who performed a selection of jazz and blues-based pieces as a quartet. They were followed by The Trinity Boys Choir in a performance of spiritual pieces and Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band." Smith then joined pianists Dwike Mitchell and 10-year-old pianist Sylvester Christian-Alexander Sands in a selection of jazz standards known for their harmonic complexity. Their performance marked the first time that three nine-foot Steinway grand pianos were on the Morse Recital Hall stage at the same time. The Mitchell-Ruff Duo played some of its classic favorites before a grand finale featuring all of the evening's performers in a selection of jazz tunes that included Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train." Ruff is the founding director of the Yale School of Music's Duke Ellington Fellowship program, which for more than a quarter century has brought legendary jazz artists to New Haven to perform public concerts and to teach at Yale and in the city's predominantly black public schools. He has performed with Dwike Mitchell since 1955. He earned the Governor's Arts Award in 2000 for bringing legendary jazz artists to Yale and New Haven. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Psychologist Keil to head Morse College community Psychiatrist Schottenfeld to serve at Davenport College Merson discusses 'heart and soul' of public health 'Yale, America and the World' '300 Years of Creativity and Discovery' Special postcard salutes Yale in its tercentennial year Noted alumni to advise School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale Opera stages musical retelling of Goethe's 'Faust' Human rights during the Bush administration is topic of symposium Study suggests ways to motivate women to get mammograms Two-day conference to explore ways to foster peaceful relations . . . MEDICAL CENTER NEWS Study: HIV-positive women twice as likely to die if depressed Researchers discover that chronic schizophrenia in men . . . Scientists use artery-constricting milk shake to prove beneficial . . . Dermatology symposium pays tribute to Dr. Irwin Braverman Lectures will examine important aspects of 'personalized medicine' Conference will highlight the advances in treatments . . . An evening of jazz celebrates the spirit of collaboration Reunion beckons oldest police retiree Head games: A Photo Essay Upcoming events will feature the plays of Pulitzer Prize-winning . . . Campus Notes Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page