Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was a versatile American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician who played

swing music Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. Swing bands usually featured soloists who would improvise on the melody over the arrangement ...

Dixieland jazz Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

and

mood music Mood music is easy listening music. Mood music may also refer to: * Beautiful music * Exotica * Light music * Lounge music * Elevator music * Music provided by Mood Media, Corporation * ''Mood Music'' (play), a 2018 play by Joe Penhall See ...

, now called

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

, on trumpet, cornet, and guitar. He played Swing with the bands of

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

and

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he played Dixieland from the 1930s into the 1970s in a variety of groups with many of the major figures in the field, and he was a featured soloist on the first ten of the numerous

Jackie Gleason Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growin ...

mood music albums during the 1950s.

Biography

Hackett was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, United States. his father was a blacksmith, his mother a housewife. Because his family was poor, with nine children, he quit school at 14 to play guitar and violin in a band in a local Chinese restaurant. After he saw Louis Armstrong perform, he learned to play the cornet and trumpet. "I've never been the same since," he told long-time

New Yorker New Yorker may refer to: * A resident of New York: ** A resident of New York City and its suburbs *** List of people from New York City ** A resident of the New York (state), State of New York *** Demographics of New York (state) * ''The New Yor ...

jazz critic

Whitney Balliett Whitney Lyon Balliett (April 17, 1926 – February 1, 2007) was a jazz critic and book reviewer for ''The New Yorker'' and was with the journal from 1954 until 2001. Biography Balliett was born in Manhattan and raised in Glen Cove, New Yor ...

in 1969. "That man was and is the greatest hot-trumpet player in jazz." In Providence, he played in a couple of other local bands, then one in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

and another on

Cape Cod, Massachusetts Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

. He spent a couple of seasons in a band in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and Providence with

Brad Gowans Arthur Bradford "Brad" Gowans (December 3, 1903, Billerica, Massachusetts – September 8, 1954, Los Angeles) was an American jazz trombonist and reedist. Gowans' earliest work was on the Dixieland jazz scene, playing with the Rhapsody Mak ...

and clarinetist

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969) was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

, then led another band in Boston. After jazz critic

George Frazier George Frazier may refer to: * George Frazier (manager) (1861–1913), American baseball manager * George Frazier (pitcher) (1954–2023), American baseball pitcher * George Frazier (journalist) (1911–1974), American journalist See also * George ...

praised him in several articles, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1937. First he played with clarinetist

Joe Marsala Joseph Francis Marsala (January 4, 1907 – March 4, 1978) was an Italian-American jazz clarinetist and songwriter. His younger brother was trumpeter Marty Marsala and he was married to jazz harpist Adele Girard. Music career He was born in C ...

(later a songwriter) and then spent a year playing at

Nick's Nick's (Nick's Tavern) was a tavern and jazz club located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of the borough in Manhattan, New York City, which peaked in popularity during the 1940s and 1950s. It was notable for its position, because most po ...

, a

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

bar known for its Dixieland music. While there he became part of Dixieland musicians that included Pee Wee Russell,

Zutty Singleton Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer. Career Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...

, Billy Butterfield, Dave Tough, Joe Sullivan, and Eddie Condon. Although he always said he was a follower of Armstrong, he made his name as a follower of cornet player Bix Beiderbecke. In 1938

hired the talented 23 year old to recreate Bix's "I'm Coming Virginia" solo at his (Goodman's) The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. In the late 1930s, Hackett played lead trumpet in the Vic Schoen Orchestra, which backed the Andrews Sisters. In the 1940 Fred Astaire movie, ''Second Chorus''. Hackett can be heard on the soundtrack. He dubbed the trumpet playing of Fred Astaire in two numbers. In the movie, Astaire is a trumpet player in Artie Shaw's orchestra. In 1939, the talent agency MCA Inc., MCA asked Bobby Hackett to form a big band with its backing. When the band failed, he was in substantial debt to MCA. He joined the bands of Horace Heidt and then

in 1941 and 1942 to pay this debt. To make matters worse, his lip was in bad shape after dental surgery, making it difficult for him to play the trumpet or cornet. Glenn Miller offered him a job as a guitarist. "When I joined the band and I was making good money at last, [...] [jazz critics] accused me of selling out. Hell I wasn't selling out, I was selling ''in''! It's funny, isn't it, how you go right into the wastebasket with some critics the minute you become successful." Despite lip problems, Hackett could play occasional short solos, and he can be heard playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on the 1942 "A String of Pearls (song), A String of Pearls". Hackett referred to this solo as 'just a little exercise'. Balliett says the twelve-bar solo "remains in its design (scale), tone (moonlike), and lyricism (Bach) one of the recorded improvisational wonders." Balliett, p. 104 In the mid-40s he was in Glen Gray's orchestra for two years. In 1946 he joined the music staff at American Broadcasting Company, ABC where he remained for 15 years. Feather points out this gave Hackett a steady income.Feather, p. 237 He continued his live performances and recordings while there. He was playing regularly at Eddie Condon's and other clubs. A dream come true for Hackett was his inclusion in Louis Armstrong's 1947 Town Hall Jazz Concert. He was music director for the concert and second cornet. Baillett says of the concert, "Hackett's background figures made Louis Armstrong sound like a nightingale." In November 1947, he recorded two sides with Frank Sinatra. The first, on November 5, was "I've Got a Crush on You," arranged and conducted by George Siravo with a small group. Released the same year, it reached number 21 on the pop charts. On November 9, he recorded "Body and Soul (1930 song), Body and Soul" with Sinatra and a large orchestra arranged and conducted by Alex Stordahl. This recording was held back until June 1949, when it was one of the eight recordings on Sinatra's fourth Columbia album, ''Frankly Sentimental''. Since then, two other takes have been released by Columbia. Hackett took a leave of absence from ABC from 1951 to 1952 to organize a septet that played in several night clubs, including New York's The Embers (nightclub), The Embers. Five years later he organized another sextet that played at the Henry Hudson Hotel and several jazz festivals. His profile increased after he was hired by

as a cornet soloist for seven of Gleason's

albums. Beginning in 1952, he appeared on Gleason's first Capitol Records album, ''Music for Lovers Only''. The record — as well as all of Gleason's next 10 albums — went gold. He appeared on six more of Gleason's albums. This association led directly to his signing with Capitol Records and performing trumpet and flugelhorn solos on several popular albums, including the best selling concept albums of Frank Sinatra. In 2001, whenMosaic Records released ''The Complete Capitol Bobby Hackett Solo Sessions'' on a five-CD limited edition set, most of the tracks were from Gleason's mood music albums. According to the liner notes, Hackett was paid $30,000 to $40,000 for six albums for Gleason. In 1954, he appeared as a regular on the ABC variety show ''The Martha Wright (actress), Martha Wright Show'', also known as ''The Packard Showroom''. In 1965, he toured with the singer Tony Bennett. In 1966 and 1967, he accompanied Bennett on two European tours. In the early 1970s, he performed separately with Dizzy Gillespie and Teresa Brewer. In 2012, Hackett was selected to be inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Hackett married Edna Lillian Lee Hackett (d. 2000) in 1937. The Hacketts lived primarily in New York City and spent summers on

. They had a daughter, Barbara (d. 2003); and a son, Ernie, who became a professional drummer. Hackett was a Freemason and was active with St. Cecile Lodge #568, a lodge specifically for musicians and artists. Hackett died in 1976 of a heart attack at the age of 61.

Discography

As leader

* 1930-40 - ''Chronological'' (Classics, ?) * 1943-47 - ''Chronological'' (Classics, ?) * 1948-54 - ''Chronological'' (Classics, ?) * 1950.08 - ''Jazz Session'' (CBS, 1980) * 1953-54 - ''Soft Lights and Bobby Hackett'' (Capitol, 1954) * 1954? - ''In a Mellow Mood'' (Capitol, 1955) * 1955.10 - ''Coast Concert'' (Capitol, 1956) * 1957.03 - ''Gotham Jazz Scene'' (Capitol, 1957) * 1956? - ''Rendezvous'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''Bobby Hackett At The Embers'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Don't Take Your Love from Me'' (Capitol, 1958) * ''Jazz Ultimate'' with Jack Teagarden (Capitol, 1958) * ''The Bobby Hackett Quartet'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''Blues with a Kick'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''Hawaii Swings'' (Capitol, 1960) * ''Dream Awhile'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''The Most Beautiful Horn in the World'' (Columbia, 1962) * ''Night Love'' (Columbia, 1962) * ''Bobby Hackett Plays Henry Mancini'' (Epic, 1962) * ''Plays the Music of Bert Kaempfert'' (Epic, 1964) * ''Hello Louis!: Plays the Music of Louis Armstrong'' (Epic, 1964) * ''Trumpets' Greatest Hits'' (Epic, 1965) * ''A String of Pearls'' (Epic, 1965) * ''Trumpet de Luxe'' with Billy Butterfield (CBS [Japan], 1966) * 1967.01 - ''Creole Cookin'' (Verve, 1967) * 1967 - ''That Midnight Touch'' (Project 3, 1967) * 1967 - ''A Time for Love'' (Project 3, 1967) * 1967.08 - ''Bobby/Billy/Brazil'' (Verve, 1968) * 1968.11 - ''This Is My Bag'' (Project 3, 1969) * 1969.04-05 - ''Live at the Roosevelt Grill'' Voll. 1-4 (Chiaroscuro, 1970) Vol. 1 reissued as ''Featuring Vic Dickenson at the Roosevelt Grill'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) * 1970? - ''The Bobby Hackett Four with Dave McKenna'' (Hyannisport, 1972) * 1972? - ''Bobby Hackett and Vic Dickenson at the Royal Box'' (Hyannisport, 1972) * 1973 - ''What a Wonderful World'' (Flying Dutchman, 1973) * 1974.08 - S''trike Up the Band'' (Flying Dutchman, 1975) * 1973.05 ''- Live in New Orleans'' (Riff, 1976) With Ted Easton's Jazzband * 1975 - ''Butterfly Airs Vol. 1'' (Honey Dew, 1977) * 1975 - ''Butterfly Airs Vol. 2'' (Honey Dew, 1977) * 1976 - ''Tin Roof Blues'' (Honey Dew, 1977) *

As sideman

With

* ''Music for Lovers Only'' (Capitol, 1952) * ''Music to Make You Misty'' (Capitol, 1953) * ''Music, Martinis, and Memories'' (Capitol, 1954) * ''Jackie Gleason Presents Autumn Leaves'' (Capitol, 1955) * ''Music to Remember Her'' (Capitol, 1955) * ''Music to Change Her Mind'' (Capitol, 1956) * ''Jackie Gleason Presents Music for the Love Hours'' (Capitol, 1957) * ''Jackie Gleason Presents Lush Musical Interludes for That Moment'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'' (Pickwick/33, 1967) With others ( Frankie Laine 1955 'Te Amo') * Louis Armstrong, ''Town Hall'' (RCA Victor, 1957) * Tony Bennett, ''The Very Thought of You'' (Columbia, 1965) * Tony Bennett, ''A Time for Love (Tony Bennett album), A Time for Love'' (Columbia, 1966) * Teresa Brewer, ''Good News'' (Signature, 1974) * Ruth Brown, ''Ruth Brown (album), Ruth Brown'' (Atlantic, 1957) * Jim Cullum Jr., ''Goose Pimples'' (Audiophile, 1967) * Eddie Condon, ''Bixieland'' (credited as Pete Pesci, Columbia, 1955) * Eddie Condon, ''Midnight in Moscow'' (Epic, 1962) * Eddie Condon, ''Eddie Condon On Stage'' (Saga, 1973) * Dizzy Gillespie, ''Giants (Dizzy Gillespie album), Giants'' (Perception, 1971) *

, ''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert'' (Columbia, 1950) * Bill Kenny (singer), Bill Kenny, ''I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You'' (Decca, 1951) *

, ''A String of Pearls (song), A String of Pearls'' (Bluebird, 1941) * Glenn Miller, ''Rhapsody in Blue'' (Victor, 1942) * Frank Sinatra, ''I've Got a Crush on You'' (Columbia, 1947) * Frank Sinatra, ''Body and Soul (1930 song), Body and Soul'' (Columbia, 1947) * Jack Teagarden, ''Jack Teagarden!!!'' (Verve, 1962) * Lee Wiley, ''Night in Manhattan'' (Columbia, 1955)

References

External links

Bobby Hackett recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.