Sunday, 31 January 2016

Bobby Hackett born 31 January 1915


Robert Leo "Bobby" Hackett (January 31, 1915 - June 7, 1976) was a jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet and guitar, and played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra during 1941-42.
Hackett was born in Providence, Rhode Island. Bobby, who was later to become the most important white representative of Dixieland jazz, learned banjo, guitar and violin as a child. He left school at 14 and played from then on with local dance orchestras. He began working professionally in an around the Boston area. Appearing with such artists as Teddy Roy, Pee Wee Russell, Herbie Marsh, Payson Re, and the Harvard Gold Coast Orchestra, he quickly earned a reputation.
In 1936 he was asked to form a Dixieland outfit for Boston's Theatrical Club. The group proved very popular and after their one-year engagement ended the members decided to try their luck in New York. Unable to get a job as a group they eventually split up, and for the next couple of years Hackett worked on and off with various artists, including Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Jack Teagarden, and Eddie Condon.
He made his name as a follower of the legendary cornet player Bix Beiderbecke: Benny Goodman hired him to recreate Bix's famous "I'm Coming Virginia" solo at his (Goodman's) 1938 Carnegie Hall concert.
 



In 1939 Hackett formed his own big band. Louise Tobin, then the wife of Harry James, was featured vocalist. The group contracted with MCA and made several recordings but financial problems forced it to disband after only six months. Owing MCA almost 
Bobby Hackett with fats Waller

$3000, Hackett decided to take a steady job with Horace Heidt in order to pay off the band's debts. He remained with Heidt through the summer season of 1940. 
In 1941 Hackett joined Glenn Miller. Miller and Hackett were close friends, and Miller helped renegotiate Hackett's debt. Hackett also recently had had dental surgery and was unable to play the cornet, so Miller placed him as a guitarist. Hackett eventually took up his horn again and can be heard as the featured soloist on the Miller standard ''String of Pearls.''
When Miller disbanded his orchestra in 1942 to join the Army Air 
Bobby Hackett with Louis Armstrong
Force, Hackett took a studio job at NBC. He also spent a brief time with Katherine Dunham's revue. In 1943 he joined the Casa Loma Orchestra and remained with them for three years. He then took a job with ABC, where he spent the next fifteen years. 
From the 1950s up until his death Hackett continued performing and recording. He led several small groups and worked closely with many other top artists, including Goodman, Teagarden, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Maxine Sullivan, and Lee Wiley. In the early 1950s Hackett was the star of Jackie Gleason's memorable ''Music for Lovers Only'' album series.

 
Bobby Hackett died of a heart attack on the 7th June, 1976 in Chatham, Massachusetts.  (info edited from Wikipedia & Solid!)

Here's a clip of the Bobby Hackett Sextet with Deed I Do!

Bobby Hackett (Trumpet -Cornet) Urbie Green (Trombone) Bob Wilber (Clarinet) Morey Feld (Drums) Dave McKenna (Piano) Nabil Totah (bass)
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2 comments:

  1. boppinbob31 January 2016 at 02:46

    For Bobby HACKETT & His Orch. “At The Jazz Band Ball 1938 – 1940” go here:

    http://www74.zippyshare.com/v/QmeJrpMd/file.html

    1. AT THE JAZZ BAND BALL
    2. YOU, YOU AND ESPECIALLY YOU v. Lola Bard
    3. THAT DA DA STRAIN
    4. IF DREAMS COME TRUE v. Lola Bard
    5. AT THE JAZZ BAND BALL [live]
    6. BLUE AND DISILLUSIONED v. Linda Keene
    7. I DON'T STAND A GHOST OF A CHANCE
    8. POOR BUTTERFLY
    9. DOIN' THE NEW LOW DOWN
    10. NIGHT AND DAY v. Maxine Sullivan
    11. THAT'S HOW DREAMS SHOULD END
    12. AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
    13. SUNRISE SERENADE
    14. EMBRACEABLE YOU
    15. TWELVE BARS STAMPEDE
    16. BUGLE CALL RAG
    17. I SURRENDER DEAR v. Claire Martin
    18. JA DA
    19. DARDANELLA
    20. GOOD MORNING v. The Heidt-Lights
    21. THAT OLD GANG OF MINE v. The Tune Twisters
    22. CLARINET MARMALADE
    23. AFTER I SAY I'M SORRY v. Larry Cotton
    24. SINGIN' THE BLUES ('TIL MY DADDY COMES HOME)

    The two instrumentals from the first session, "At The Jazz Band Ball" and "That Da Da Strain", are typical Dixieland fare with interesting solos, especially from Pee Wee Russell. The other two sides, "You, You And Especially You" and "If Dreams Come True", are more commercially designed and have vocals by Lola Bard. The live version of "At The Jazz Band Ball" taken from a "Saturday Night Swing Club" broadcast, provides an interesting comparison with the one from the studio recording session and the solos are rather different, as one might expect from a jazz group."Blue And Disillusioned", with a nice vocal from Linda Keene, is the attempt for commercial success from the second session with two sides, "Ghost Of A Chance" and "Poor Butterfly", designed to show off Hackett's playing. The final side, "Doin' The New Lowdown", is more of a group jazz vehicle with good solos.Even as early as 1938 he had acquired a reputation for his ability to enhance the performance, not only by his discrete embellishments behind the vocal but his sympathetic solos as well. This dual ability is beautifully illustrated on Maxine Sullivan's "Night And Day”. There are two outstanding Hackett performances on the standards, "Ain't Misbehaving" and "Embraceable You”. Two sides with Hackett as leader have vocals and were obviously intended to strike a more commercial note but the two instrumentals, "Clarinet Marmalade" and "Singing The Blues", show Hackett at his best especially in his tribute to Bix Beiderbecke on the second of these - not that he recreates either the style or the sound of Bix but the flavour is certainly present.

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  2. Bakeliedjes31 January 2016 at 11:19

    Thanks a lot BOb. Great musician.
    Regards Theo

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