1 minute read
John Hackett
The Piper Plays His Tune
Interview and Review by Martin Hutchinson.
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John Hackett, is best known in the world of progressive music for his amazing flute playing, but here he has produced a rock album recorded alone while under lockdown.
His career began when he was a twelve year old guitarist with a passion for twelve bar blues, but then he saw the original King Crimson and his fate was sealed. He took up the flute and began a career in classical music. As well as his career in the classics, he joined his brother Steve Hackett’s band just as Steve was leaving Genesis and to this day, he appears alongside Steve playing flute, guitar and bass pedals.
Since 2005, he has released a number of well received progressive rock albums and with his own John Hackett Band, he’s developed his skills as a multi-instrumentalist by taking on the role of lead vocalist, flautist, keyboard and guitar player.
The current pandemic was the catalyst for John to follow in the steps of other rock musicians by recording an album alone, entitled ‘The Piper Plays His Tune’. He explains: “I had in the can
a whole bunch of songs I had written over the years that I thought were never going to make it onto an album and so would probably never see the light of day. Plus I had some new material I had started working on in early 2020 before the world was turned upside down. So I decided then and there that, as it was at that time impossible to record a studio album with my own band due to lockdown, I would work on a completely home produced project where I would write, sing and play all the parts myself. [Laughs] If you pick up this album expecting to hear twenty minute epics with gargantuan solos and constant changes of time signature, then please put it quietly down right now and retreat to a safe distance.”
The ten-track album certainly has prog leanings, whilst remaining gentle and melodic with a definite nod to his brother Steve’s guitar work. I particularly enjoyed the tracks ‘Julia’ and ‘Loved By You’ for their lyrics and general feeling. As a DIY album, it’s excellent, with very few rough edges.
