Hal Serra

Harold "Hal" Serra (* 1928 ; † June 24, 2012 ) was an American jazz pianist , composer and arranger .

Live and act

Serra spent his youth in Springfield, Massachusetts ; his friends included Joe Morello , Sal Salvador , Chuck Andrus, and Phil Woods , known as the Springfield Rifles . As a teenager he studied in New York with Lennie Tristano before founding his own trio. With him he appeared on the NBC program The Today Show for two years . In New York clubs he played a. a. with Ella Fitzgerald , Woody Allen , June Christy and with Julie London , with whom he often toured. For a concert at Carnegie Hall , in which Phil Woods also performed, he transcribed Charlie Parker's music from his album Charlie Parker with Strings . As a composer he worked for television commercials; he also composed a musical ( Gabriel's Child ) about the life of a jazz musician. In the field of jazz he was involved in six recording sessions between 1947 and 1967, including recordings with his own trio / quartet with Burt Collins , Earl May and Ed Thigpen for the small label Dawn .