Hackett Files

A superb cornetist with faultless taste who started with Glenn Miller and was featured on Jackie Gleason's Easy Listening albums.
Bobby Hackett's mellow tone and melodic style offered a contrast to the brasher Dixieland-oriented trumpeters. Emphasizing his middle-register and lyricism, Hackett was a flexible soloist who actually sounded little like his main inspiration, Louis Armstrong.

In 2003, Steve Hackett met the Hungarian jazz fusion septet Djabe and contributed to their album Táncolnak A Kazlak. They got on so well that they played shows together whenever possible. In 2016, Djabe and Hackett got together for improvised recording sessions in the parsonage of a Sardinian cathedral. The flow of ideas and easy rapport netted the widely celebrated Life Is a Journey: The Sardinia Tapes. A year later, the guitarist and band took the material on tour, resulting in the document Life Is a Journey: The Budapest Live Tapes. Djabe returned to the same spot earlier in 2019, without Hackett; his touring schedule wouldn’t allow him to participate live.

For Steve Hackett, his 26th studio album (a remarkable statistic of itself) is far more than merely a collection of quality tracks. It goes a lot deeper than this. “I love experimenting with sounds and ethnic instruments, and thereby taking my ideas into other musical territories, to go where I have not artistically been before. This is essentially British music but it's being developed in foreign soil, as it were.” 'At The Edge Of Light' represents the master guitarist's commitment and passion for a global perspective on the music he writes and performs.

Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett is pleased to announce "Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More", the document of his 2021 UK tour celebrating the classic 1977 Genesis live album. It sees Steve and his band perform "Seconds Out" in full and in sequence, as well as a selection of solo material including tracks from his most recent studio album "Surrender of Silence".

In the 1950s, Bobby Hackett's pretty tone was often utilized on mood music albums, most notably by Jackie Gleason, but he never lost his ability to play hot jazz, and in the fall of 1955 he was part of the Dixieland Jubilee presented by Frank Bull and Gene Norman at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles - also featured on the program was Hackett's longtime colleague Jack Teagarden, who was in superb form at this point in his career. The results of that concert were so felicitous that Capitol Records OK'd the recording of Coast Concert, featuring Hackett leading an octet that included Teagarden on trombone and vocals, and also old friends Abe Lincoln on trombone and Matty Matlock on clarinet…

Although Steve Hackett had made several albums under his own name since his departure from Genesis, 1981's Cured was the closest thing yet to a true solo Hackett album. Having disbanded the group with whom he's recorded two successful solo albums - Spectral Mornings and Defector - Steve retained only keyboard player Nick Magnus to help out on this effort. Magnus played keyboards, Hackett handled guitar and bass, and the drums were provided by a drum machine. But the most noticeable change was in the vocals. Previous albums had featured the occasional vocal excursion by the guitarist, but Cure was the first album on which Hackett handled all the lead vocals himself. Combined with the revamped musical backing and a more straightforward songwriting style, the new sound threw some Hackett devotees for a loop…

Esoteric Antenna are pleased to announce the release of the excellent album by John Hackett, Another Life.
Another Life is John Hackett’s long awaited rock album and is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Checking Out of London (released in 2005). On his new record John Hackett is joined by brother Steve Hackett, ex-Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips and prog legend Nick Magnus to create an evocative musical landscape of powerful rock songs and rich melodies.
John Hackett is highly regarded for his distinctive flute sound in the world of progressive music and as an accomplished soloist. Solo flautist, guitarist, singer and composer, John is best known for his work with his brother Steve Hackett, the former Genesis guitarist, and the ambient group Symbiosis…

Originally released in 1963 at a time when Bobby Hackett was playing trumpet behind Tony Bennett, these are jazz-oriented versions of Broadway musicals. These sessions from the vaults of Columbia Records are not essential, but it's fun lite pop/jazz that doesn't take itself too seriously and is easy to relax with. Jazz Impressions of Oliver is self-explanatory while The Swingiest Gals in Town includes themes from Mame and Sweet Charity.