Ralph was born, raised, and mentored in the musical womb of Detroit. He has been active as a performing artist in the African American Improvisational Tradition for over 30 years. Internationally recognized, he has toured the globe. He has performed with Dr. Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, Wadada Leo Smith, The MC5, Kenn Cox, Adam Rudolph’s Moving Pictures, Go Organic Orchestra, and The Seekers of Truth Revolutionary Ensemble (SOTRE ) among others.

 

He was a featured soloist of Yusef Lateef’s African American Epic Suite for Quintet and Orchestra when it premiered with the WDR Radio Orchestra of Koln, and later with the Atlanta and Detroit Symphonies. His most recent releases are “ Woodwinds “ with Yusef Lateef and “ Ye-Yi “ with Adam Rudolph and the Karuna Ensemble.

 

Ralph earned his Masters degree in African American Studies and his B.A. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA. He taught five years at Oberlin College and four years at Spelman College. He also taught musical concepts and performance in Rio De Janeiro , Brazil. Ralph composed original music for the award-winning documentary "Tell Me, Cuba".