LiveOne
Born in Medford, Massachusetts on June 1, 1924, Hal McKusick was a jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, and educator. His musical career began when he worked with several big bands led by Woody Herman (1943), Boyd Raeburn (1944-45), Alvino Rey (1946), and Claude Thornhill (1948-49). In 1955, McKusick released East Coast Jazz Series No. 8, his first album as a leader. Over the next two years, that debut was followed in quick succession by a series of albums including In a Twentieth-Century Drawing Room (1956), Jazz at the Academy (1957), The Jazz Workshop (1957), and Cross Section Saxes (1958). While serving as a bandleader, he was also an in-demand sideman, working with artists such as George Russell, Don Elliott, Kenny Burrell, Coleman Hawkins, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Gene Krupa, and Lee Konitz. While he remained busy in session work, he didn’t release any further albums as a bandleader until 1977’s Sax Duets and 17 Jazz Duets for Two Flutes. His final album released during his lifetime was 1989’s Hal McKusick Plays, Betty St. Claire Sings. Hal McKusick died on April 11, 2012 of natural causes.
Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.
