Hal McKusick

[Michel_M]

Hi,

I'm a fan of Hal McKusick, a cool toned altoist that reminds a bit of Desmond and have some affinities with B. Wilen. He played with great jazzmen like Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Eddie Costa. Already have Now's the time, Triple Exposure ans Jazz Workshop. I found information here and there on the site from various threads in Vinyl Frontier and Reissues but nothing more "general". I also saw that there will be a japanese reissue of the Hal McKusick Quartet. My interrogations are : can we find a good discography of his works and , naturally, where I can find some of his recordings on cd . From what I can see there's some incomplete compilations, and others cd's are hard to find. Any information or opinion on McKusick will be greatly appreciated.

I also found that there's a double cd called Complete 55-56 Hal McKusick on Lonehill Records but what's on those cd's ?

[brownie]

There is no thorough discography of Hal McKusick available on the net now. As one of the most soughtafter sessionman, McKusick took part in quite a number of sessions.

The Lonehill 2CD includes the quartet dates McKusick recorded with Barry Galbraith for Bethlehem (East Coast Jazz) and Decca/Coral (Jazz At The Academy) plus the two albums he recorded for RCA Victor (Jazz Workshop and In the Twentieth Century Drawing Room).

Lonehill issues are regarded as illegals in several quarters!

[JohnS]

I love McKusick too. The Lonehill, although very dubious, is an excellent way to obtain some of McKusick's best performances. Look out too for 'Now's The Time' GRP), probably deleted but also contains an exceptional collection from the same period.

Give em Hal!

[Harmon]

Here you will find somthing for a start:

http://www.annie.ne.jp/~yaski/jazz/mckusick/

Jürgen

[P.D.]

Lonehill have also released " The Art Farmer / Hal McKusick Quintet - The Complete Studio recordings, originally done for Decca.. I believe.

There was a Decca CD of these released 1995. The Lonehill has a slightly different track listing, adding in versions of Criss Cross and Makin' Whoopee which were not on the Decca, plus three "bonus" sextet tracks from an RCA date.. probably George Russells Jazz Workshop series

Edited January 18, 2006 by P.D.

[mikeweil]

That Decca issue left off some tracks because CD time limitations and Orrin Keepnews' choice of tracks.

[Fer Urbina]

Hello Michel M

McKusick is alive, well, and from what I gather, still playing. For the discography *as a leader* BMG reissued his RCA LPs on CD a few years ago. From Spain, there's also a Fresh Sound reissue of the Bethlehem LP he did with Galbraith, Hinton and Osie Johnson.

About the Lonehill 2-CD set "the complete recordings of Hal McKusick with Galbraith, Hinton and Johnson". As Brownie said, some people have a problem with the legality of Lonehill reissues (they don't apply the European 50-year rule, that's for sure). My problem begins with the labelling of this 2-CD set. To begin with, these are NOT the *complete* recordings of Hal McKusick with Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson, because they missed Lydian Lullaby, The Day John Brown Was Hanged and Miss Clara from McKusick's "Jazz Workshop".

Besides, the sticker on this set says "Collectors' items on CD for the first time ever". So the following CDS do not exist, apparently:

- Hal McKusick: East Coast Series No. 8 (Bethlehem/Fresh Sound FSR-CD41, Spain 1989)

- Hal McKusick: In A Twentieth Century Drawing Room (RCA/BMG 74321125842, Spain 1996)

- Hal McKusick: The Jazz Workshop (RCA/BMG 74321913522, Spain 2001)

- Hal McKusick: Jazz At The Academy (Coral/Universal UCCC-9064, Japan 2003)

and also

- V. A.: The RCA Victor Jazz Workshop/The Arrangers (Bluebird/BMG ND 86471, Germany 1989), which has five tracks from McKusick's Workshop album.

The other Lonehill reissue, the *complete Art Farmer-Hal McKusick recordings*, well, they do get something very right: they put together all the music from the February 1957 sessions (the whole original LP for Coral + a track available only in a compilation called Jazz Cornucopia), which the 1995 GRP CD -Now's the time- didn't manage to do (this one has music from the Coral albums "McKusick-Farmer Quintet" and "Cross-Section Saxes"). This GRP CD (excellent liner notes by Burt Korall) as others in the same series (or at least one, Art Farmer-Out of the past), inexplicably leaves out music from the original albums when there's plenty of room for it (Now's The Time lasts just over 60 minutes - I wouldn't call that time restrictions). The downside for the Lonehill comes from the very idea of the album. The McKusick-Farmer (not the other way around, McKusick was the leader) Quintet was not a working band (like the Jazztet, for instance) and it shows in this CD: the music is very good, but the concept varies so much from session to session that doesn't make as much sense as you might expect.

I'm a big fan of McKusick too. If you like off-centre music I'd go for the Jazz Workshop and Cross-Section Saxes (the latter available from Japan). In any case, as Brownie said, his name pops up just about everywhere -especially in the 50s, but he's also in recordings by Buddy Rich and Boyd Raeburn from the 1940s.

Enjoy!

F

Edited January 18, 2006 by Fer Urbina

[Chuck Nessa]

He is also on a bunch of Elliot Lawrence records from the '50s.

[frank m]

A few years ago I was talking to a technician at a college where I was teaching. He was a horologist of sorts (calm down guys, its a clock expert) who was talking about this old guy who was also a horologist. Lives quietly way out east one Long Island. The conversation wound on about an ancient gearing device which had just been shown to be a clock-like gizmo for predicting planetary motion. Seems that both of them were particularly interested in the history of this gizmo. Then he mentioned the old guys name: Hal McKusick. Well shuck my peas! The tech had no idea with whom he was dealing, he being as ignorant of jjazz as most people. Last I heard, McKusick is still living out there with his clocks.

[Larry Kart]

Interesting adventurous player (especially in his associations), though he did have some twiddly figures that at times fell under his fingers too often for my tastes. I've known his RCA, Decca, and Bethlehem work since the time it came out but only came across a few years ago the things he did later for Prestige as a leader and sideman -- "Triple Exposure" (with trombonist Billy Byers and quite a rhythm section -- Eddie Costa, Paul Chambers, and Charlie Persip), "Earthy" (with Art Farmer, Al Cohn, Kenny Burrell et al.), and as one of the guests on Gil Melle's "Gil's Guests." These are all worth definitely a listen.

[brownie]

McKusick also recorded under his name several '"play-along-with' albums for Music Minus One.

George Duvivier and Bobby Donaldson were along on those sessions. No idea if they have been reissued on CD.

[Michel_M]

Thanks Fer and all of you. Very appreciated.

Like the Jazztet, I think McKusick deserves the Mosaic treatment , all in the same beautiful package

[Fer Urbina]

McKusick plays next Sunday in Sag Harbor.

Hal McKusick Jazz Trio

Date: Sunday, June 11, 2006

Time(s): 2pm

Location: Christ Episcopal Church

Town: Sag Harbor

Hal McKusick Concert Benefits Organ Fund

The Sunday Series of Christ Church presents their annual "Strawberry Jazz" Concert featuring the

Hal McKusick Jazz Trio.

Tickets $25 available at Canio's Books, 290 Main Street, Sag Harbor.

Admission includes homemade strawberry dessert post-concert reception.

LIMITED SEATING

Profits benefit restoration of CEC pipe organ.

Contact: Dr. Daniel W. Koontz

Phone: (631) 725-0128

Email: oldwhalers@optonline.net

http://www.hamptons.com/calendarmain.ihtml...arbor¤tmonth=05

[ghost of miles]

Wish I lived in that neck o' the woods.

[Fer Urbina]

Although it's a bit blurry, McKusick can be seen playing tenor here

F

[Chuck Nessa]

Interesting to hear McKusick in a "Bud Freeman style". Hope this doesn't scare folks away.

Am I alone in thinking at times one of the dancers looked like Jo Jones and/or Tommy Flanagan.

[Fer Urbina]

Rest of personnel, according to McKusick:

Phil Olivella, clarinet

Bernie Privin, trumpet

Frank Rehak, trombone

HM on tenor...

Most likely Hank Jones on piano, Specs Powell, drums, Sam Shoobe or Trigger Alpert on bass.

F

[Larry Kart]

Am I alone in thinking at times one of the dancers looked like Jo Jones and/or Tommy Flanagan.

The former is what I thought. Nice stuff.

[ghost of miles]

Marc Myers, who writes an excellent jazz blog called Jazzwax, has been posting excerpts this week from an interview that he recently did with McKusick:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 tomorrow will cover the late 1950s.

[brownie]

Thanks for relaying the McKusick interview. This is a great read. Will take a close look at that blog later. Looks very interesting!

[4%XB]

Marc Myers, who writes an excellent jazz blog called Jazzwax, has been posting excerpts this week from an interview that he recently did with McKusick:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 tomorrow will cover the late 1950s.

Thanks!

[Larry Kart]

Fascinating. Great stories too.

[Fer Urbina]

McKusick film here

Apparently there's a feature-length documentary coming.

F