McKusick trabajo a principios de los 50 con Terry Gibbs y Don Elliott. Grabó álbumes como líder de banda como Triple Exposure (Prestige, 1957). Al mismo tiempo, hizo numerosas grabaciones con grupos liderados por George Russell.^[1]​

En 1958, Hal McKusick lideró un pequeño grupo con Bill Evans con los que grabó Cross Section - Saxes que incluye colaboraciones de Art Farmer, Paul Chambers, Connie Kay y Barry Galbraith. Para este álbum, McKusick supervisó los arreglos de George Handy, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell and Ernie Wilkins. También hizo sesiones con Lee Konitz y John Coltrane. En 1960, protagonizó la obra de un solo acto de Edward Albee The Sandbox]. En sus últimos años, dio clases en la Ross School de East Hampton (Nueva York).

El 11 de abril de 2012, McKusick murió de causas naturales a los 87 años.^[2]​

• East Coast Jazz Series No. 8 (Bethlehem, 1955)
• In a Twentieth-Century Drawing Room (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Hal McKusick Quintet Featuring Art Farmer (Coral, 1957)
• Jazz at the Academy (Coral, 1957)
• The Jazz Workshop (RCA Victor, 1957)
• Triple Exposure (Prestige, 1957)
• Cross Section Saxes (Decca, 1958)
• Sax Duets (Music Minus One, 1977)
• 17 Jazz Duets for Two Flutes (Music Minus One, 1977)
• Hal McKusick Plays/Betty St. Claire Sings (Fresh Sound, 1989)

Con Don Elliott

• Don Elliott Sings (Bethlehem, 1955)
• Mellophone (Bethlehem, 1955)
• The Mello Sound (Decca, 1958)
• Music for the Sensational Sixties (Design, 1958)
• Love Is a Necessary Evil (Columbia, 1962)

Con Elliot Lawrence

• Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements (Fantasy, 1956)
• Plays Tiny Kahn and Johnny Mandel Arrangements (Fantasy, 1956)
• Swinging at the Steel Pier (Vogue, 1956)
• Big Band Modern (Jazztone, 1957)

Con George Russell

• The Jazz Workshop (RCA Victor, 1957)
• New York, N.Y. (Decca, 1959)
• Jazz in the Space Age (Decca, 1960)

Con otros

• Manny Albam, The Drum Suite (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Manny Albam, The Jazz Workshop (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Ralph Burns, Ralph Burns Among the JATPs (Norgran, 1955)
• Kenny Burrell, Earthy (Prestige, 1957)
• Al Cohn, Mr. Music (RCA Victor, 1955)
• Bob Dorough, I'll Never Fall in Love Again (Music Minus One, 1970)
• Bob Dorough, A Taste of Honey (Music Minus One, 1972)
• Erroll Garner, Play It Again, Erroll! (Columbia, 1975)
• Terry Gibbs, Swingin' with Terry Gibbs and His Orchestra (EmArcy, 1956)
• Terry Gibbs, Vibes On Velvet (EmArcy/Mercury, 1956)
• Benny Golson, Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo, 1961)
• Urbie Green, All About Urbie Green and His Big Band (ABC-Paramount, 1955)
• Urbie Green, The Persuasive Trombone of Urbie Green (Command, 1960)
• Bill Harris, Bill Harris Herd (Norgran, 1956)
• Coleman Hawkins, The Hawk in Hi-Fi (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Milt Hinton, Basses Loaded! (RCA Victor, 1955)
• Andre Hodeir, American Jazzmen Play Andre Hodeir's Essais (Savoy, 1957)
• Osie Johnson, A Bit of the Blues (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Teddi King, Bidin' My Time (RCA Victor, 1956)
• Lee Konitz, Lee Konitz Meets Jimmy Giuffre (Verve, 1959)
• Gene Krupa, Drummer Man (Verve, 1956)
• Gil Melle, Gil's Guests (Prestige, 1956)
• Helen Merrill, The Artistry of Helen Merrill (Mainstream, 1965)
• Jackie Paris, The Song Is Paris (Impulse!, 1962)
• Charlie Parker, The Magnificent Charlie Parker (Clef, 1955)
• Charlie Parker, Jazz Perennial (Verve, 1961)
• Tony Perkins, On a Rainy Afternoon (RCA Victor, 1958)
• Nat Pierce, Kansas City Memories (Coral, 1957)
• Boyd Raeburn, Boyd Meets Stravinski (Savoy, 1955)
• Alvino Rey, Uncollected 1946 (Hindsight, 1978)
• Bobby Scott, Bobby Scott Plays the Music of Leonard Bernstein (Verve, 1959)
• Jack Six, Bacharach Revisited (Music Minus One, 1969)
• Gunther Schuller, Modern Jazz Concert (Columbia, 1958)
• Tommy Shepard, Shepard's Flock (Coral, 1957)
• Dinah Washington, The Swingin' Miss "D" (EmArcy, 1957)
• Dinah Washington, Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller (Mercury, 1959)
• Phil Woods, Bird Feathers (Prestige, 1957)
• Bob Wilber, Acapulco Princess (Music Minus One, 1972)
• Bob Wilber, No More Blues (MMO Studios, 1972)

• Hal McKusick recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.