Hal Galper

Harold Galper (born April 18, 1938) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, and writer.

He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Galper studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz which he studied at the Berklee College of Music from 1955 to 1958. He hung out at Herb Pomeroy's club, the Stable, hearing local Boston musicians such as Jaki Byard, Alan Dawson and Sam Rivers. Galper started sitting in and became the house pianist at the Stable and later on, at Connelly's and Lenny's on the Turnpike. He went on to work in Pomeroy's band.

Later on he worked with Chet Baker and Stan Getz and accompanied vocalists Joe Williams, Anita O'Day, and Chris Connor.

Between 1973 and 1975, Galper played in the Cannonball Adderley Quintet replacing George Duke. He performed in New York and Chicago jazz clubs in the late 1970s. Around this time, Galper recorded several times with guitarist John Scofield for the Enja label.

For 10 years (1980–1990) he was a member of Phil Woods's quintet.

Galper left the Woods group in August 1990 to start touring and recording with his new trio with Steve Ellington on drums and Jeff Johnson on bass. From 1990 to 1999, his group was on the road six months a year.

Galper is internationally known as an educator. His theoretical and practical articles have appeared in six of Down Beat editions. His scholarly article on the psychology of stage fright, originally published in the Jazz Educators Journal, has subsequently been reprinted in four other publications.

He is on the faculty of Purchase College and the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

With Cannonball Adderley

• Inside Straight (Fantasy, 1973)
• Love, Sex, and the Zodiac (Fantasy, 1973)
• Pyramid (Fantasy, 1974)

With Nat Adderley

• Double Exposure (Prestige, 1975)

With Franco Ambrosetti

• Heartbop (Enja, 1981)

With Chet Baker

• The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65 (Colpix, 1964)
• Baby Breeze (Limelight, 1965)
• Live at Fat Tuesday's (Fresh Sound, 1981)

With Randy Brecker

• Score (Solid State, 1969)

With Tom Harrell

• Open Air (SteepleChase, 1986)

With Sam Rivers

• A New Conception (Blue Note, 1966)

With John Scofield

• Rough House (1978)

With Phil Woods

• Birds of a Feather (Antilles)
• Bop Stew (Concord)
• Boquet (Concord)
• All Birds Children (Concord)
• Dizzy Gillespie Meets Phil Woods Quintet (Timeless, 1986)

• List of jazz arrangers

• Forward Motion: From Bach To Bebop. A Corrective Approach to Jazz Phrasing, AuthorHouse, 17 July 2003,ISBN 978-1410712141
• The Touring Musician: A Small Business Approach to Booking Your Band on the Road, Alfred Publishing, 10 January 2007,ISBN 978-0739046890

• Official site