Bruce Hall, a Seattle native, got his start in the instrumental programs of the Seattle public schools. As a youngster, he played clarinet in the school orchestras and baritone sax in stage band.
He knew early that music would be his life's work and sought out some of the best instructors available to achieve his goal.
Bruce has studied clarinet with Johnny Jesson, Ronald Philips, and Bert Christensen. Frank Horsfal, Vic Chase, and Scott Goff were his mentors on flute.
Before he was out of elementary school, Bruce had discovered Dixieland jazz. By high school he had a formiddable record collection, was writing quality jazz charts for he and his cohorts, and was playing regularly around Seattle.
Prior to joining Holotradband, Bruce had worked with numerous well-known Seattle traditional/dixie bands, including Wayne Simon's Traffic Jammers, Les Biegle's Dixie Dandies, The Island City Jazz Band, The Dixie Jazzers, and The Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band, where he met Dave Holo and David Loomis.
Bruce quite modestly claims to have "drifted around" in the music business for the past 35 years. In actuality, he's been a free-lance musician extradordinaire. He's worked the pits for major musicals, done road performances with guys like the late, great Gene Harris, done more studio work than one can recount, and is a first-call reed man for a large number of band leaders in the Pacific Northwest. Drifting with a purpose, I'd say.
When not playing with Holotradband, Bruce is a very active free-lance musician and operates a thriving practice teaching sax, clarinet, and flute out of his private studio in Bellevue.