Hal McKusick
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Hal McKusick, an alto saxophonist and clarinetist , played with well-known big bands in the 1940s including Claude Thornhill. He made a significant contribution to jazz in the late 1950s and early 60's in New York as studio musician in the avante garde scene. Well regarded for his smooth (or cool) bop sound, he made recordings with George Russell's jazz orchestra's including Jazz Workshop and Brandeis Jazz Festival and later Jazz in the Space Age. This music, with its often complex arrangements, is now regarded as a forerunner to the Third Stream movement. Hal McKusick played with a wide range of young musicians, many now regarded as legends such as pianist Bill Evans, and saxophonists Lee Konitz and Jimmy Giuffre. He had a small group with trumpeter Art Farmer that recorded Cross Section Saxes amongst others. He occasionally played flute or clarinet as sessions demanded.
