Al Hall

Although never a prominent soloist, the versatile and very supportive bassist Al Hall was considered an asset to a countless number of dates and recording sessions. He grew up in Philadelphia and early on played cello and tuba before switching permanently to bass in 1932. After working locally for a few years, Hall moved to New York in 1936 where he played with Billy Hicks (1936-1937), Skeets Tolbert (1937-1938), and, most significantly, Teddy Wilson's big band and combo (1939-1941). After working with the Ellis Larkins Trio (1942-1943) and Mary Lou Williams, Hall became a sta...