Six Videos of Hal McKusick

Before he died in April 2012 at 87, saxophonist Hal McKusick was one of JazzWax's biggest fans and a dear friend. We spoke almost weekly about jazz events Hal had witnessed and his many recording sessions, including one with Charlie Parker (here). Many of our conversations were captured in my JazzWax posts. Hal was an educator and always available, and he was loaded with stories and insights. Naturally, his passing was heartbreaking. His early encouragement was essential and fantastic, and his cool, relaxed way of talking was entertaining in and of itself.

Hal was one of my earliest JazzWax interviews. As I recall, baritone saxophonist Danny Bank was my first. I had much more free time between 2007 and 2010, so I simply decided to track down jazz musicians I admired on my records and interview them about growing up and their recording careers for JazzWax. I figured interviewing was what I did for a living, why not pay the music back by capturing the lives and stories for my blog. Today, all of those interviews are free and in the right-hand column.

Recently, I was thinking of Hal. Here are a handful of videos of him in action so you can get to know him, too. If you want to read my multipart 2007 interview first, go here. Links to additional parts are above the red date at the top of the post.

Here's Hal McKusick playing John Coltrane's The Wise One...

Here's a video tribute to Hal after his passing by the Ross School in East Hampton, N.Y., where Hal taught music and led the school's orchestras and ensembles for many years...

Here's a video that Ross School student Alexandra Fairweather made of Hal in 2009...

Here's Home Town Blues in 2007 in Sag Harbor, N.Y.with Hal McKusick (as), Don Friedman (p), Jay Anderson (b) and Dennis Mackrel (d)...

Here's Hal on alto sax in 1956 on his album Jazz at the Academy playing Irresistible You with Barry Galbraith (g), Milt Hinton (b) and Osie Johnson (d)...

And here's Hal on alto and bass clarinet at his peak in 1958 on his album Cross Section-Saxes playing George Handy's arrangement of La Rue with Dick Hafer and Frank Socolow (ts), Jay Cameron (bs), Bill Evans (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Connie Kay (d)...