The Spirit Swings Me

Though Bobby Hackett’s trumpet tone is strongly individualistic, its power carries weight with many trumpet contemporaries, just as Hackett himself was influenced by Bix Beiderbecke. Bobby grew up during the Beiderbecke heyday, playing guitar and violin before switching to trumpet. Although nowadays mainly associated with combos, Bobby entered the professional ranks as a big band man. He led the all-star aggregation at Nick’s in New York that featured Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, Zutty Singleton and other jazz personages, then performed regularly with the Horace Heidt, Glenn Miller and Paul Whiteman orchestras. Many have labeled him a traditionalist because of his continual affiliation with New Orleans-style oriented musicians. Others mark him as a sweet sounding trumpet soloist, noting his efforts in the mood music field. But make no mistake, Bobby can really blow, and this album proves it. ‘The Spirit Swings Me’ is a session of wailing gospel favorites, presented with an imaginative and creational stamp that is highlighted by the personal rhythmic construction and the great lyrical sense of the Hackett trumpet. Usually allied with a quartet, Bobby has added three more instrumentalists to this recording, that starts with David And Goliath, a melodic rouser which pits trumpet against clarinet in true Dixieland fashion. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, arranged in a low-down blues device, has the bass setting the opening refrain and the trumpet dramatically underscoring the familiar vocal line. Bobby’s punctuations help I’m Cimbing Up The Mountain to build to its peak, and enlighten the taditionally moaning Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen. The warhorse, When The Saints Go Marching In, has a promenading piano intro that gradually generates into a full blown handclapper with all its excitant abilities. Heaven’s Full Of Joy, the concluding track, may be a bit soft-toned for its title, but it aptly demonstrates how the grace, shape and logic of the Hackett sound molds this spiritual into modern terms. Two Hackett originals open the second side. Golden Gate is a swinger with a heading-for-the-promised-shore elation that features Dick Cary on alto horn. Way Up There, has more of a funky feeling but is enlivened by the Bob Wilbur tenor and Bobby’s clear-toned horn. The gospel fervor returns in the camp meeting spirit of Balm In Gilead, where everyone gets an opportunity to strut their stuff. The emotional impact of Steal Away is quite the opposite in its tender and sensitive treatment. Then, Jake Hanna’s crisp drumming brings on Better Be Ready, a minor key opus boasting some varied rhythmic patterns. The closer, the well-known Bye And Bye is a shouter all the way, with Bobby’s punching trumpet taking the lead, a role he skillfully fulfills, throughout ‘The Spirit Swings Me.’