Hal Galper
b. 18 April 1938, Salem, Massachusetts, USA. Galper was taught classical piano as a boy but turned to jazz and studied at the Berklee College Of Music between 1955 and 1958. He was taught privately by Jaki Byard and Herb Pomeroy. He moved to Boston in 1959 and played with Herb Pomeroy's Big Band. Then he worked with Sam Rivers, Tony Williams, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Randy and Michael Brecker, Bobby Hutcherson and Attila Zoller. His harmonically sophisticated playing made him a masterful accompanist to vocalists Joe Williams, Anita O'Day and Chris Connor. He played with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet between 1973 and 1975 but is said not to have enjoyed playing the electric piano. In 1981 he joined Phil Woods' Quintet with whom he has played throughout the '80s.