Bobby Hackett

[Ryan]

He's got a lot to wade through, and very few definitive collections that I can tell (save the Mosaic set), and a LOT of live album material.


Just wondering what people own already and love and would recommend.


For the record, I've heard some of the Roosevelt Grille recordings with Vic Dickenson, and they are a bit "thin" in the drums for my tastes if you know what I mean.

[Eyeball]

I know mostly his ballad and his softer Jazz playing. I don't think I have ever heard him play music that would be 'good for Lindy

One of the most beautiful ballad players in Jazz history. His work with Glenn Miller in 41 and 42 added a new dimension to the band. The perfect place for his stunning ballad work and fantastic obligattos.

OH! You must have the session he did with Lee Wiley and Joe Bushkin in the early 50s. Wonderful sides - in print for so long that they finally went 'gold' about 20 years ago.

[Haydn]

Just wondering what people own already and love and would recommend.

He did a nice version of 'Doin the New Low Down' but I haven't found a CD release of this with decent sound quality.

[Ryan]

I know mostly his ballad and his softer Jazz playing. I don't think I have ever heard him play music that would be 'good for Lindy

Funny, most of the stuff I've heard has been pretty hot. Haven't heard much of the Miller stuff though. I'm sure like many musicians he had different periods of style based on the time and the band he was playing with.

[Albert System]

He was the featured soloist on most of the Jackie Gleason recordings in the '50's. The tempos ranged from slow to reaaaaaaally sloooooow.

[Eyeball]

I know mostly his ballad and his softer Jazz playing. I don't think I have ever heard him play music that would be 'good for Lindy

Funny, most of the stuff I've heard has been pretty hot. Haven't heard much of the Miller stuff though. I'm sure like many musicians he had different periods of style based on the time and the band he was playing with.

And like all the great Jazz men, he enjoyed both sweet and hot music and played both well.

His most famous Miller side is String of Pearls with his often heard cornet solo. On the broadcast version of Little Brown Jug from 1942, Hackett's cornet solo is radically different (and better) than the 1939 Bluebird recording.

He got more room for JAzz/Swing playing on Miller broadcasts. On record, he was usually used on ballads.

Depending on which story you want to believe, Hackett had then recently had dental surgery and was slowly recovering and Miller had him playing guitar and little by little more and more cornet.

The other story was that Hackett had become such an unreliable drunk that he was virtually unemployable and Miller hired him and had him sobering up on guitar until he could play cornet properly. One sounds like a cover story and the other sounds like the truth.

In any event - everyone loves Bobby Hackett's playing and when you are ready for some gorgeous, vintage ballad playing where people just go, "Oh, my God!!" when they hear it, check out some of the Miller sides and broadcasts from 41 and 42. Hackett hung around for quite a while, so he must have liked it.

[djstarr]

I like the Bobby Hackett tracks on the Classic Columbia Condon Mob Series.