Clifford Ratliff Oral History

Jazz trumpeter Clifford Ratliff’s musical life is inseparable from Indiana Avenue, the once-thriving cultural and entertainment corridor that shaped generations of Black musicians in Indianapolis. Growing up in a musical family, Ratliff gravitated toward the trumpet early, sharing a single cornet with his three older brothers after it was left behind by a cousin. When his brothers stopped playing, Ratliff claimed the horn for himself in grade school — a simple decision that set the course for a lifetime in music.

One of the most defining moments of Ratliff’s youth came when Freddie Hubbard performed in Indianapolis in the early 1960s. Too young to be allowed inside the club, Ratliff listened from the alley behind the building, standing near a back window and exhaust fan, taking in every note he could hear. That experience left a permanent impression. Hearing Hubbard play — even from outside — confirmed Ratliff’s commitment to the trumpet and solidified his dream of becoming a jazz musician.

By his teenage years, Ratliff was already navigating Indiana Avenue’s music scene, quietly balancing school, family expectations, and a growing presence as a young player. During the 1960s, he became a member of the Indianapolis-based band The Highlighters, performing during a period when Avenue clubs thrived with constant musical activity. He recalls afternoon matinee sessions that led into evening performances, with jam sessions serving as informal classrooms where musicians learned by listening, sitting in, and earning respect. Venues such as the Hubbub, the 19th Hole, the Honeydripper, Al’s British Lounge, and A Place to Play formed a tight-knit ecosystem that nurtured both local talent and visiting artists.

Ratliff’s career extended well beyond Indianapolis. He traveled to Haiti to record with the Magnum Band and later participated in recording sessions connected to Uncle Funkenstein, placing him within a broader national and international musical landscape while remaining rooted in jazz tradition.

In reflecting on Indiana Avenue, Ratliff speaks candidly about segregation, integration, and the unintended consequences that followed. As Black audiences gained access to white-owned clubs after integration, many Black-owned venues on the Avenue experienced declining attendance and eventually closed. Over time, neglect and demolition erased much of the physical corridor, permanently altering the cultural geography of Indianapolis. Ratliff’s memories preserve not only the music, but the sense of community, opportunity, and mentorship that once defined the Avenue.

Through performance, storytelling, and mentorship, Clifford Ratliff remains a living link to Indiana Avenue’s jazz legacy — a musician shaped by its sound, its people, and its history.

In his Amazing Indiana Music Story interview, Clifford Ratliff reflects on coming of age along Indiana Avenue, the musicians and mentors who shaped his voice on the trumpet, and the cultural ecosystem that once sustained Indianapolis’ jazz community. His story offers a firsthand account of how family, perseverance, and shared musical spaces helped cultivate a vibrant scene whose influence continues to resonate, even as much of its physical landscape has been lost.

The Amazing Indiana Music Stories series is made possible with support from the Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, whose generous funding helps preserve and share Indiana’s rich musical heritage.

Visitors can explore more below, including the Complete Interview, Interview Highlight, and Image Gallery from Clifford Ratliff’s Amazing Indiana Music Story.

In this Interview Highlight, jazz trumpeter Clifford Ratliff reflects on his early years along Indiana Avenue and the moments that set him on a lifelong musical path. He recalls sharing a single horn with his brothers, discovering jazz through the Avenue’s matinee jam sessions, and hearing Freddie Hubbard perform in Indianapolis—an experience that helped define his future, even though he was too young to enter the club. Together, these memories offer a glimpse into the people, places, and sounds that shaped Ratliff’s journey as a musician.

In the Complete Interview, jazz trumpeter Clifford Ratliff offers an expansive, firsthand account of growing up within Indianapolis’ once-thriving jazz ecosystem centered along Indiana Avenue. He speaks in detail about the family roots of his musicianship, the matinee jam sessions that functioned as informal training grounds, and the night he first heard Freddie Hubbard perform—listening from an alley because he was too young to enter the club. Ratliff also reflects on his years performing with The Highlighters, recording experiences in Haiti and beyond, and the profound changes brought by integration that ultimately led to the decline and physical erasure of much of Indiana Avenue’s Black-owned music corridor.