[1][2] Hall began on banjo with the Niles Jazz Band (1923–1925), then settled on reeds.
In 1926, he played with Kid Augustin Victor in Baton Rouge, and moved to New Orleans the following year.
After this he moved to Philadelphia, where he played with Herman Autrey; a few years later he was in New York, working with Doc Cheatham (1955) and toured Europe with Sammy Price (1955–56).
He often played in New York jazz clubs, particularly Jimmy Ryan's and Eddie Condon's, in the late 1950s and 1960s.
He also appeared in Bob Greene's Jelly Roll Morton revue show that decade.