Rafael Aguiar, also known as -Ruffus, a talented and promising multi-instrumentalist.
Born in Brazil, growing in an almost non-musical environment, his sudden premature interest in music stroke surprisingly his old folks. Grew up between cities, born in the small country side-town Valenca (RJ), but lived most of his time in Santos (SP), back then still very young when he acquire a very particular taste for music. Extremely open-minded, from Beatles to Coltrane, style was never a proper word to define what he likes. ''There is only good music and bad music, styles matter only as for pointing the direction that we are heading''. When twelve started playing the recorder flute at school, which only made his curiosity grow bigger. When thirteen, he engaged into saxophone lessons, love at first sight. Having had an amazing luck of encountering an incredible open-minded teacher, he started then his exploration: under his teachers influence he decided to self-teach other instruments after the alto saxophone, the next was the clarinet, and after that to the flute, and as the years were passing by, his curiosity just kept on growing. By the age of seventeen he self-taught on top of those previously mentioned: piano, bass, guitar, harmonica, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, percussion and cavaquinho.
In 2002 he enrolled in a conservatory to take harmony and ear training lessons, which fortified his understanding of music. When sixteen he was invited to give saxophone lessons at his own high school, and couple years later in his first music conservatory. In 2003 he performed featured with the "Mato Grosso Orchestra of Flutes", receiving by the city mayor an honor artistic prize for his young and talented musicianship. He played in several local bands at that point too, they went from Brazilian Music, Jazz, Funk, Rock, and for each one playing different instruments. Created his first group playing his originals when sixteen years old. For two weeks every year from 2004 until 2007 he attended to the Ourinhos Jazz Festival.
In 2005 he was accepted in Souza Lima Conservatory in Sao Paulo City. There he had the chance in taking classes and perform with many great musicians such as: Vitor Alcantara, Daniel Alcantara, Bob Wyatt, Sizao Machado, Nene, Guilherme Ribeiro, Lupa Santiago, Jarbas Barbosa and Carlos Ezequiel, Vinicius Dorin, Lelo Izar, Proveta (from Mantiqueira Big Band), Nelson Faria, Hildebrando Brasil, Michel Leme, Toninho Horta, Scott Henderson, Craig Wagner, Vincent Gardner, Steve Lacy and David Liebman.
In scholarship, studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. And while at Berklee, had the privilege to study and perform with great musicians as such as: Hal Crook, Darren Barrett, George Garzone, Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, Ed Tomassi, Terri Lyne Carrington, Benny Golson, Antonio Sanchez, Bill Pierce, Ken Cervenka, Dave Santoro, Ron Mahdi, Frank Tiberi, Bruce Saunders, Dave Samuels, Maria Schneider, Chris Potter, Filo Machado amoung others.
Living in Boston since 2007, -Ruffus has being playing with the most diverse bands including his own, venues around Boston: Beehive, Regatta Bar, The Outpost, The Lily Pad, Vernissage Bar, Fire House bar, Wally’s Café, Café Luna, Art Galery 187, and others. In NYC: The Drom, Smalls, Fat Cat, The Jazz Standard, Blue Note, ShapeShifter lab, Something Jazz, Bitter End Bar, and others.
Had tours in: Brazil (RJ/SP/PN/MG) in 2005, 2006 and 2008; in Peru (Lima) in 2009; in USA (MN/NH/MA/NY) in 2012.
The new group: ''-Ruffus 5tet''
-Ruffus 5tet, his newest band, composed by: Grant Richards on piano; Rob Taylor on bass; Alex Baboian on guitar; and Thomas Wandell on drums.
The group started in 2011, since then has being performing around Boston and NYC, Grant Richards, a brilliant well accomplished young pianist from Portland, OR. Rob Taylor, an even younger impressive solid and extremely musical bassist from Orinda, CA. Alex Baboian, a reincarnation of musical souls, his musical depth is beyond words from Boston, MA. Thomas Wandell, one of the sweetest guys you will ever know, amazing well balanced his touch and sensibility transcends within each time he plays the drums, from Kingston, NY.
The group has recently recorded an album, being his first album as a leader, -Ruffus explores in depth a set of his compositions carefully putted together. The album will come up on the acclaimed NYC label: ''Inner Circle Music'', by the one and only amazing alto saxophonist: Greg Osby.
The album will be released in Boston and NYC, on the end of the summer 2014.