Hal McKusick (June 1, 1924 – April 11, 2012) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist who worked with Boyd Raeburn 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. 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. R ...

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 ...

. 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,

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, 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 and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

. In 1960, he starred in the Edward Albee 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 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 * ''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'' (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 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 ...

, ''

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, ''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 r ...

, ''Play It Again, Erroll!'' (Columbia, 1975) *

, ''Swingin' with Terry Gibbs and His Orchestra'' (EmArcy, 1956) * Terry Gibbs, ''Vibes On Velvet'' (EmArcy/Mercury, 1956) * Benny Golson, '' Take a Number from 1 to 10'' (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 firs ...

, ''A Bit of the Blues'' (RCA Victor, 1956) * Teddi King, ''Bidin' My Time'' (RCA Victor, 1956) * Lee Konitz, '' Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre'' (Verve, 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, ...

, ''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'' (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'' (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'' (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, ''Kansas City Memories'' (Coral, 1957) * Boyd Raeburn, ''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, ''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, ''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, ''Acapulco Princess'' (Music Minus One, 1972) * Bob Wilber, ''No More Blues'' (MMO Studios, 1972)

References

External links

Hal McKusick recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{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