Bobby Hackett stood apart from the brasher Dixieland-oriented trumpeters through his mellow tone and melodic phrasing. By concentrating on the middle register and emphasizing lyricism, he developed into a flexible soloist whose sound bore scant resemblance to his primary influence, Louis Armstrong.
Early in his career Hackett earned brief recognition as “the new Bix” for the resemblance between his approach and that of Bix Beiderbecke, yet he soon cultivated a highly personal voice. Although he began as a guitarist and continued doubling on the instrument until the mid-1940s, Hackett worked in local ensembles and, by 1936, fronted his own group. Relocating to New York in 1937, he joined Joe Marsala, participated in Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert by recreating Beiderbecke’s solo on “I’m Coming Virginia,” recorded alongside Eddie Condon, and assembled a short-lived big band by 1939. Brief engagements with Horace Heidt and Glenn Miller’s Orchestra followed; the latter period, spanning 1941–1942, included his celebrated solo on “String of Pearls.” After a stint with the Casa Loma Orchestra, Hackett settled into studio work while continuing to perform with jazz ensembles. He proved a major asset at Louis Armstrong’s 1947 Town Hall Concert, became a featured soloist on Jackie Gleason’s commercially oriented yet jazz-inflected mood-music albums throughout the 1950s, and made numerous recordings with both Eddie Condon and Jack Teagarden. Between 1956 and 1957 he directed an experimental ensemble that attempted to update Dixieland through Dick Cary’s arrangements and unconventional instrumentation, though the project failed to gain traction. Commercial sessions from 1959–1960 encompassed a set of Hawaiian material and another featuring pipe-organ accompaniment. Subsequent associations included work with Benny Goodman from 1962 to 1963, accompaniment for Tony Bennett in the mid-1960s, and a well-documented co-led quintet with Vic Dickenson from 1968 to 1970. Additional collaborations involved Jim Cullum, the World’s Greatest Jazz Band, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mary Lou Williams, and Hackett remained active until his death. As a leader he recorded for Okeh (later reissued by Epic), Commodore, Columbia, Epic, Capitol, Sesac, Verve, Project 3, Chiaroscuro, Flying Dutchman, and Honey Dew.
