Hal Galper -

Hal Galper (April 18, 1938 – July 18, 2025) was an American post-bop pianist who released three albums in 1972/73 on Mainstream Records, followed by titles on SteepleChase and enja. He also played on albums by Chet Baker, Sam Rivers, Randy Brecker, Pete Yellin, Nat Adderley, Cecil McBee, John Scofield, and Phil Woods.

Background

Hal was born Harold Galper on April 18, 1938, in Salem, Massachusetts. He began classical piano lessons at age six and decided to pursue piano in his final year of high school. Galper entered Berklee School of Music on scholarship in 1955 as a performance major and studied with pianist Ray Santisi. He also took private piano lessons from Margaret Chaloff.

Galper took sit-in spots at The Stable, where trumpeter Herb Pomeroy led his big band. He heard pianist Jaki Byard and saxophonist Sam Rivers at the Boston club. Galper played piano in 1958 on Berklee’s Jazz in the Classroom, Vol. 1. He joined Pomeroy’s big band in 1959 and began professional work around Boston.

Galper moved to New York in 1963 on the advice of pianist Jaki Byard. He returned to Boston and sat in with Chet Baker at the Jazz Workshop. Baker hired him for the road band. Galper recorded with Baker in June 1964 on The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65 in New York. He returned to New England in 1966 and joined the house band at Lennie’s on the Turnpike. Phil Woods appeared with the band as guest soloist for a week.

Galper recorded Sam Rivers’ A New Conception on October 11, 1966, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. He returned to New York in 1967 for short engagements with Stan Getz and Joe Henderson. Galper played piano and electric piano on trumpeter Randy Brecker’s Score in January and February 1969 at Van Gelder. He recorded his first Mainstream session under his own name in 1971 with Randy and saxophonist Michael Brecker.

Discography: