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 from 1948 to 1949.

Career

McKusick was born in Medford, Massachusetts. In the early 1950s he worked with Terry Gibbs and Don Elliott. 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, Connie Kay, and Barry Galbraith. For this album, McKusick commissioned arrangements from George Handy, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell and Ernie Wilkins. He also worked on sessions with Lee Konitz and John Coltrane. 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

As sideman

With Don Elliott With Elliot Lawrence With George Russell With others