Herbert L. Hall (March 28, 1907 – March 5, 1996) was an American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
clarinetist and alto saxophonist.
Early life
Hall was born in
Reserve, Louisiana
Reserve is an unincorporated community in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 9,111 at the 2000 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Cen ...
, the brother of
Edmond Hall
Edmond Hall (May 15, 1901 – February 11, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Over his career, Hall worked extensively with many leading performers as both a sideman and bandleader and is possibly best known for the 1941 ch ...
and the son of clarinetist
Edward Hall
Edward Hall ( – ) was an English lawyer and historian, best known for his ''The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke''—commonly known as ''Hall's Chronicle''—first published in 1548. He was also sever ...
.
Career
Hall began on banjo with the
Niles Jazz Band (1923–1925), then settled on reeds. In 1926, he played with
Kid Augustin Victor in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...
, and moved to
the following year. He played briefly with
Sidney Desvigne
Sidney Desvigne (September 11, 1893 – December 2, 1959) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Desvigne played in a large number of noted 1910s and 1920s-era New Orleans Jazz ensembles, including Leonard Bechet's Silver Bell Band, the Maple Leaf Orc ...
, then played for over a decade with
Don Albert ''For the architect, see Don Albert & Partners.''
Albert Dominique, better known as Don Albert (August 5, 1908, New Orleans – January 1980, San Antonio, Texas) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader.
Albert's uncle was Natty Dominique. ...
(1929–1940), moving to
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
with him and remaining there until 1945.
After this he moved to
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, where he played with
Herman Autrey
Herman Autrey (December 4, 1904 – June 14, 1980) was an American jazz trumpeter.
Career
Autrey was born into a musical family in Evergreen, Alabama, United States. He played alto horn before taking up trumpet as a teenager and performing lo ...
; a few years later he was in New York, working with
Doc Cheatham
Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham (June 13, 1905 – June 2, 1997), was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the Grandfather of musician Theo Croker.
Early life
Doc Cheatham was born in Nashv ...
(1955) and toured Europe with
Sammy Price
Samuel Blythe Price (October 6, 1908 – April 14, 1992) was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and jump blues pianist and bandleader. Price's playing is dark, mellow, and relaxed rather than percussive, and he was a specialist at creating the ...
(1955–56). He often played in New York jazz clubs, particularly
Jimmy Ryan's and
Eddie Condon's
Eddie Condon's was the name of three successive jazz venues in New York run by jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader Eddie Condon from 1945 until the mid-1980s.[Wild Bill Davison
William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they ...]
's Jazz Giants, and then a stint with an offshoot band of The Jazz Giants, called "Buzzy's Jazz Family" which included Herman Autrey, Benny Morton, Sonny Drootin, Eddie Gibbs and leader Buzzy Drootin on drums. He worked with
Don Ewell
Donald Tyson Ewell (November 14, 1916 – August 9, 1983) was an American jazz stride pianist. He worked with Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory, George Lewis, George Brunis, Muggsy Spanier, and Bunk Johnson.
Biography
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, ...
in the 1970s. He also appeared in
Bob Greene
Robert Bernard Greene Jr. (born March 10, 1947) is an American journalist and author. He worked for 24 years for the ''Chicago Tribune'' newspaper, where he was a columnist. Greene has written books on subjects including Michael Jordan, Alice C ...
's
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...
revue show that decade.
Personal life
Hall lived in
Boerne, Texas
Boerne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Kendall County, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country. Boerne is known for its German-Texan history, named in honor of German author and satirist Ludwig Börne by the German Founders of the town. The popu ...
.
Discography
* ''Old Tyme Modern'' (
Sackville, 1969)
* ''Clarinet Duets'' with
Albert Nicholas
Albert Nicholas (May 27, 1900 – September 3, 1973) was an American jazz clarinet player.
Career
Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Late ...
(
GHB
''gamma''-Hydroxybutyric acid (or γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid) is a naturally occurring neurotransmitter and a depressant drug. It is a precursor to GABA, glutamate, and glycine in certain brain areas. ...
, 1969)
* ''John - Doc & Herb'' with Fessor's Nighthawks (
Storyville, 1979)
References
External links
Interview with Herb Hall, February 23, 1980. University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collection, UA 15.01, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Herb
1907 births
1996 deaths
American jazz clarinetists
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
20th-century American saxophonists
20th-century American male musicians
American male jazz musicians
Sackville Records artists
People from Reserve, Louisiana
People from St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
People from Boerne, Texas
People from Kendall County, Texas
People from San Antonio
Musicians from San Antonio