Hal McKusick (June 1, 1924 – April 11, 2012) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist who worked with
Boyd Raeburn
Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist.
Career
He was born in Faith, South Dakota, United States. Raeburn attended the University of Chicago, where he led a campus band. H ...
from 1944 to 1945 and
Claude Thornhill
Claude Thornhill (August 10, 1908 – July 1, 1965) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. He composed the jazz and pop standards "Snowfall" and "I Wish I Had You".
Early years
Thornhill was the son of J. Chester Thornhill ...
from 1948 to 1949.
Career
McKusick was born in
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...
. In the early 1950s he worked with
Terry Gibbs
Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader.
He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Re ...
and
Don Elliott
Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career.
Career
Elliott played m ...
. He recorded albums as a leader, including ''Triple Exposure'' (Prestige, 1957). At that time he made many recordings with groups led by
George Russell.
In 1958, Hal McKusick led a small group with Bill Evans that recorded ''Cross Section - Saxes'' which included contributions from
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...
,
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...
,
Connie Kay
Conrad Henry Kirnon (April 27, 1927 – November 30, 1994) known professionally as Connie Kay, was an American jazz and R&B drummer, who was a member of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Self-taught on drums, he began performing in Los Angeles in the mid ...
, and
Barry Galbraith
Joseph Barry Galbraith (December 18, 1919 – January 13, 1983) was an American jazz guitarist.
Galbraith moved to New York City from McDonald, PA in the early 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal McIntyre, an ...
. For this album, McKusick commissioned arrangements from
George Handy
George Handy (born George Joseph Hendleman) (January 17, 1920 – January 8, 1997) was an American jazz arranger, composer and pianist whose musical beginnings were fostered under the tutelage of composer Aaron Copland. While he had an impressiv ...
,
Jimmy Giuffre
James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...
,
George Russell and
Ernie Wilkins
Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (July 20, 1922 – June 5, 1999) was an American jazz saxophonist, conductor and arranger who spent several years with Count Basie. He also wrote for Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was musical direc ...
. He also worked on sessions with
Lee Konitz
Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist.
He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...
and
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...
. In 1960, he starred in the
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) ...
one-act play ''
The Sandbox''. In his later years, he taught at the
Ross School in
East Hampton, New York.
On April 11, 2012, McKusick died of natural causes at the age of 87.
Discography
As leader
* ''East Coast Jazz Series No. 8'' (Bethlehem, 1955)
* ''In a Twentieth-Century Drawing Room'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* ''Hal McKusick Quintet Featuring Art Farmer'' (Coral, 1957)
* ''Jazz at the Academy'' (Coral, 1957)
* ''The Jazz Workshop'' (RCA Victor, 1957)
* ''Triple Exposure'' (Prestige, 1957)
* ''Cross Section Saxes'' (Decca, 1958)
* ''Sax Duets'' (Music Minus One, 1977)
* ''17 Jazz Duets for Two Flutes'' (Music Minus One, 1977)
* ''Hal McKusick Plays/Betty St. Claire Sings'' (Fresh Sound, 1989)
As sideman
With
Don Elliott
Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career.
Career
Elliott played m ...
* ''Don Elliott Sings'' (Bethlehem, 1955)
* ''Mellophone'' (Bethlehem, 1955)
* ''The Mello Sound'' (Decca, 1958)
* ''Music for the Sensational Sixties'' (Design, 1958)
* ''Love Is a Necessary Evil'' (Columbia, 1962)
With
Elliot Lawrence
Elliott Lawrence Broza (February 14, 1925 – July 2, 2021), known professionally as Elliott Lawrence, was an American jazz pianist and bandleader.
Son of the broadcaster Stan Lee Broza, Lawrence led his first dance band at age 20, but he pl ...
* ''Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements'' (Fantasy, 1956)
* ''Plays Tiny Kahn and Johnny Mandel Arrangements'' (Fantasy, 1956)
* ''Swinging at the Steel Pier'' (Vogue, 1956)
* ''Big Band Modern'' (Jazztone, 1957)
With
George Russell
* ''
The Jazz Workshop
''The Jazz Workshop'' is the debut album by jazz composer George Russell, featuring his "Smalltet", which included Art Farmer, Hal McKusick, Barry Galbraith, and Bill Evans.
Music
"Concerto for Billy the Kid" is a feature for pianist Evans, ...
'' (RCA Victor, 1957)
* ''
New York, N.Y.'' (Decca, 1959)
* ''Jazz in the Space Age'' (Decca, 1960)
With others
*
Manny Albam
Manny Albam (June 24, 1922 – October 2, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, record producer, and educator.
Early life
A native of the Dominican Republic, Albam grew up in New York City. He was attracted to jazz at an ea ...
, ''
The Drum Suite
''The Drum Suite'' (subtitled ''A Musical Portrait of Eight Arms from Six Angles'') is an album by American jazz composers and arrangers Manny Albam and Ernie Wilkins featuring performances recorded in 1956 and first released on the RCA Victor l ...
'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
* Manny Albam, ''The Jazz Workshop'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
*
Ralph Burns
Ralph Joseph P. Burns (June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.
Early life
Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, where he began playing the piano as a child. In 1938, he attend ...
, ''Ralph Burns Among the JATPs'' (Norgran, 1955)
*
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...
, ''
Earthy'' (Prestige, 1957)
*
Al Cohn
Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist Zo ...
, ''
Mr. Music
''Mr. Music'' is a 1950 film starring Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson, directed by Richard Haydn, and released by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the play '' Accent on Youth'' written by Samson Raphaelson. Filming took place from October to Dece ...
'' (RCA Victor, 1955)
*
Bob Dorough
Robert Lrod Dorough (December 12, 1923 – April 23, 2018) was an American bebop and cool jazz vocalist, pianist, composer, songwriter, arranger, and producer. Dorough became famous as the composer and performer of songs in the TV series ''School ...
, ''I'll Never Fall in Love Again'' (Music Minus One, 1970)
* Bob Dorough, ''A Taste of Honey'' (Music Minus One, 1972)
*
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first rec ...
, ''Play It Again, Erroll!'' (Columbia, 1975)
*
Terry Gibbs
Terry Gibbs (born Julius Gubenko; October 13, 1924) is an American jazz vibraphonist and band leader.
He has performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Chubby Jackson,Theroux, Gary"Gibbs, Terry".''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Re ...
, ''Swingin' with Terry Gibbs and His Orchestra'' (EmArcy, 1956)
* Terry Gibbs, ''Vibes On Velvet'' (EmArcy/Mercury, 1956)
*
Benny Golson
Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...
, ''
Take a Number from 1 to 10
''Take a Number from 1 to 10'' is an album by saxophonist Benny Golson, featuring performances recorded in late 1960 and early 1961 and originally released on the Argo label. '' (Argo, 1961)
*
Urbie Green, ''All About Urbie Green and His Big Band'' (ABC-Paramount, 1955)
* Urbie Green, ''The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green'' (Command, 1960)
*
Bill Harris, ''Bill Harris Herd'' (Norgran, 1956)
*
Coleman Hawkins
Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...
, ''The Hawk in Hi-Fi'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
*
Milt Hinton
Milton John Hinton (June 23, 1910 – December 19, 2000) was an American double bassist and photographer.
Regarded as the Dean of American jazz bass players, his nicknames included "Sporty" from his years in Chicago, "Fump" from his time on the ...
, ''Basses Loaded!'' (RCA Victor, 1955)
*
Andre Hodeir, ''American Jazzmen Play Andre Hodeir's Essais'' (Savoy, 1957)
*
Osie Johnson
James "Osie" Johnson (January 11, 1923, in Washington, D.C. – February 10, 1966, in New York City) was a jazz drummer, arranger and singer.
Johnson studied at Armstrong Highschool where he was classmates with Leo Parker and Frank Wess. He fir ...
, ''A Bit of the Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
*
Teddi King
Teddi King (September 18, 1929 – November 18, 1977) was an American jazz and pop vocalist.
Born Theodora King in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, she won a singing competition hosted by Dinah Shore at Boston's Tributary Theatre, later beg ...
, ''Bidin' My Time'' (RCA Victor, 1956)
*
Lee Konitz
Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist.
He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...
, ''
Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre
''Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz and saxophonist, composer and arranger Jimmy Giuffre which was released on the Verve label in 1959.Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, S ...
, ''Drummer Man '' (Verve, 1956)
*
Gil Melle
Gil or GIL may refer to:
Places
* Gil Island (disambiguation), one of several islands by that name
* Gil, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran
* Hil, Azerbaijan, also spelled ''Gil, a village in Azerbaijan
* Hiloba, also spelled ''Gil, ...
, ''
Gil's Guests
''Gil's Guests'' is an album by American saxophonist Gil Mellé recorded in 1956 and released on the Prestige label. '' (Prestige, 1956)
*
Helen Merrill
Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording '' Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown), was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation ...
, ''
The Artistry of Helen Merrill
''The Artistry of Helen Merrill'' is an album released by American vocalist Helen Merrill in 1965 on the Mainstream Records, Mainstream label.Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, TDiscography of the Mainstream Label (Preview) acc ...
'' (Mainstream, 1965)
*
Jackie Paris
'Carlo Jackie Paris (September 20, 1924 – June 17, 2004) was an American jazz singer and guitarist. He is best known for his recordings of "Skylark" and " 'Round Midnight" from the late 1940s to the early 1950s.
Music career
Early years
Paris ...
, ''
The Song Is Paris
''The Song Is Paris'' is an album by American jazz vocalist and guitarist Jackie Paris recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label. '' (Impulse!, 1962)
*
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, ''The Magnificent Charlie Parker'' (Clef, 1955)
* Charlie Parker, ''Jazz Perennial'' (Verve, 1961)
*
Tony Perkins, ''On a Rainy Afternoon'' (RCA Victor, 1958)
*
Nat Pierce
Nathaniel Pierce Blish Jr., known professionally as Nat Pierce (July 16, 1925 – June 10, 1992) was an American jazz pianist and prolific composer and arranger, perhaps best known for being pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman band from 195 ...
, ''Kansas City Memories'' (Coral, 1957)
*
Boyd Raeburn
Boyd Albert Raeburn (October 27, 1913 – August 2, 1966) was an American jazz bandleader and bass saxophonist.
Career
He was born in Faith, South Dakota, United States. Raeburn attended the University of Chicago, where he led a campus band. H ...
, ''Boyd Meets Stravinski'' (Savoy, 1955)
*
Alvino Rey
Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1908 – February 24, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American jazz guitarist and bandleader.
Career
Alvin McBurney was born in Oakland, California, United States, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Early i ...
, ''Uncollected 1946'' (Hindsight, 1978)
*
Bobby Scott, ''Bobby Scott Plays the Music of Leonard Bernstein'' (Verve, 1959)
*
Jack Six
Jack Six (July 26, 1930 – March 14, 2015) was an American jazz double-bassist and composer.
Six was born in Danville, Illinois, and initially learned trumpet as a teenager before switching to bass. He studied at Juilliard in 1955–1956, then pl ...
, ''Bacharach Revisited'' (Music Minus One, 1969)
*
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician.
Biography and works
Early years
Schuller was born in Queens, New York City, ...
, ''Modern Jazz Concert'' (Columbia, 1958)
*
Tommy Shepard
Thomas M. Shepard (March 31, 1923 – February 23, 1993) was an American trombonist who worked extensively in both Chicago and Hollywood as a regular recording artist for the top recording, television, and film studios. He had a trombone sound ...
, ''Shepard's Flock'' (Coral, 1957)
*
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...
, ''
The Swingin' Miss "D"'' (EmArcy, 1957)
* Dinah Washington, ''Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller'' (Mercury, 1959)
*
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...
, ''Bird Feathers'' (Prestige, 1957)
*
Bob Wilber
Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his caree ...
, ''Acapulco Princess'' (Music Minus One, 1972)
* Bob Wilber, ''No More Blues'' (MMO Studios, 1972)
References
External links
Hal McKusick recordingsat the
Discography of American Historical Recordings
The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKusick, Hal
1924 births
2012 deaths
American jazz alto saxophonists
American male jazz musicians
American male saxophonists
Cool jazz saxophonists
Prestige Records artists
20th-century American saxophonists