Harold Galper (born April 18, 1938) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, and writer.

Biography

He was born in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...

, United States. Galper studied classical piano as a boy, but switched to jazz which he studied at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cou ...

from 1955 to 1958. He hung out at Herb Pomeroy's club, the Stable, hearing local Boston musicians such as

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

, 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 Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

and

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

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 George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

. 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 Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and ...

label. For 10 years (1980–1990) he was a member of

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

'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.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Cannonball Adderley * '' Inside Straight'' (Fantasy, 1973) * ''

Love, Sex, and the Zodiac ''Love, Sex, and the Zodiac'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley recorded in Berkeley, California in 1970, but not released on the Fantasy label until 1974, featuring performances by Adderley's Quintet featuring Nat Adderley, Hal ...

'' (Fantasy, 1973) * ''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrila ...

'' (Fantasy, 1974) With Nat Adderley * '' Double Exposure'' (Prestige, 1975) With

Franco Ambrosetti Franco Ambrosetti (born 10 December 1941) is a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. He was born in Lugano, Switzerland; his father, Flavio, was a saxophonist who once played opposite Charlie Parker.Heartbop'' (Enja, 1981) With

* ''

The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65 ''The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65'' is an album by trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker which was recorded in 1964 and released on the Colpix label.Edwards, D. and Callahan, MAlbum Discography, Part 1: (SCP-400 Popular Music Series) accessed May ...

'' (Colpix, 1964) * ''

Baby Breeze ''Baby Breeze'' is an album by trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker which was recorded in 1964 and released on the Limelight label.Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on N ...

* ''

Score Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

'' (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) * ''Ivory Forest'' (1979) With

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

Bibliography

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

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galper, Hal 1938 births Living people American jazz pianists American male pianists Mainstream Records artists Enja Records artists SteepleChase Records artists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Cannonball Adderley Quintet members Double-Time Records artists Origin Records artists