Bobby Hackett

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Bobby Hackett on trumpet with Bubba Kolb on piano

Robert Leo Hackett , called Bobby Hackett (* 31 January 1915 in Providence , Rhode Iceland , † 7. June 1976 in Chatham , Massachusetts ) was an American jazz - trumpet , cornet player and guitarist .

Live and act

Hackett is considered to be one of the most important trumpeters of the Bix-Beiderbecke successor and was considered the "new Bix" in the 1930s because of his mild tone: For example, Benny Goodman hired him especially for his Carnegie-Hall concert in 1938 to perform Beiderbecke's popular I'm coming, Virginia from 1927. These comparisons were annoying to him himself - he described and saw himself as a " Louis Armstrong man".

Hackett grew up as one of nine children in Providence. He was already playing guitar and violin when he got his first cornet at the age of 12. He performed in the Rhode Island ballrooms and in a local Chinese restaurant. In 1932 he had his first band engagement in the Herbie Marsh Orchestra, back then mainly as a guitarist (when he tried to play cornet, a hotel manager is said to have threatened to end the band's engagement). Hackett worked with Pee Wee Russell in 1933 , then with Eddie Condon for many years . In the early 1940s he got into financial difficulties after the failure of his own big band and could not play a wind instrument because of lip problems. Glenn Miller helped him out and took him on as a guitarist in his orchestra from 1941 to 1942, where he can also be heard with a few short trumpet solos. In the universal film The Glenn Miller Story he improvises on A String of Pearls , which means he can also be heard in a famous solo on Miller's successful record. After overcoming his starting problems, he mainly played cornet again in the 1940s, including with Louis Armstrong and in the ABC radio orchestra.

From left: Ernie Caceres , Bobby Hackett, Freddie Ohms and George Wettling , Nick's, NYC, 1940s.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb .

In the 1950s he recorded some of Jackie Gleason's easy-listening albums with soulfully interpreted ballads and string orchestras. He played both swing and dixieland, occasionally even bebop, and continued his career until his death. In 1971 he moved from New York to West Harwich in Cape Cod after playing in a Hyannis hotel for a long time the year before . In the 1970s he toured Japan and Europe with George Wein and Dizzy Gillespie . He also played in his own sextet with Zoot Sims and founded his own label. The musician was also a regular guest at the "Colorado Jazz Parties" and the hotels in Cape Cod, where he died in 1976 of a heart attack.

Hackett is one of the musicians of traditional jazz who was also highly valued by protagonists of more modern jazz, such as Dizzy Gillespie. Although he described himself as an Armstrong fan (and repeatedly reenacted pieces of his idol), his lyrical, tender style of playing is clearly influenced by Beiderbecke and by Bunny Berigan , who is about the same age . Among his lasting achievements are the recordings with Jack Teagarden from the fifties, such as the classic "New Orleans".

Trivia

Hackett was known for never speaking badly of other people. On an extensive tour of the " Eddie Condon " band, his colleagues tried to lure him into a negative comment about someone else, which, as always, failed completely. One evening, Wild Bill Davison struck what was supposedly the ultimate blow: "Bobby", he wanted to know, "what do you think of Adolf Hitler?" After a moment's thought, the typical Bobby answer came: "Well, he was the best in his way!" (Well, he was the best in his field! ")

Discographic notes

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personal data
SURNAME Hackett, Bobby
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hackett, Robert Leo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician and cornetist
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1915
PLACE OF BIRTH Providence , Rhode Island
DATE OF DEATH June 7th 1976
Place of death Chatham , Massachusetts