Quick Facts
Biography
John Hackett (born 13 March 1955) is a British flautist, the younger brother of guitarist Steve Hackett. Although his primary instrument is the flute, he also plays guitar, bass, and keyboards.
Early career
John comes from both classical and rock backgrounds. His early career was mostly as part of his brother's band, appearing on many early albums and touring until 1983, though he had already made guest contributions to other albums (notably Anthony Phillips's debut solo album The Geese And The Ghost).
He has as played with ensembles such as The English Flute Quartet and the Westminster Camerata, and as part of the ambient music trio, Symbiosis. He has also maintained a strong output from session work with a variety of artists and projects.
Solo work
From 2004, John has been regularly releasing solo albums, taking in classical, folk, and rock stylings. In 2005, Checking Out Of London was released, a rock album produced with Nick Magnus, and with the majority of the lyrics by Nick Clabburn. This was followed up in 2015 with a second rock album, Another Life, also with the involvement of Magnus and Clabburn.
With Nick Magnus
Since being in Steve Hackett's band together, John and Nick Magnus have often collaborated, recording and performing together many times.
With Marco Lo Muscio
John has worked alongside Italian organist Marco Lo Muscio throughout the 2010s, often performing organ/flute duets in live performances across Europe. There are few recordings of them together, though Hackett played on Lo Muscio's The Book of Bilbo and Gandalf album, and they collaborated on the Playing The History project.
With Nick Fletcher
Since 2012, John has collaborated with classical guitarist Nick Fletcher. They have performed as a flute/guitar duo across England and recorded two albums of instrumental music, the first of which also featured Steve Hackett.
John Hackett Band
In 2005, a short lived band existed to promote Checking Out Of London, featuring Nick Magnus on keyboards and Tony Patterson on vocals, along with various members of the Genesis tribute band, ReGenesis.
To support the release of Another Life, a trio was formed with John (guitars, keys, vocals), Nick Fletcher (lead guitar) and Duncan Parsons (percussion, vocals), which was soon expanded to a full band with the addition of Jeremy Richardson (bass, guitars, vocals) and Duncan moving to full drum kit.
The band started public performances as the John Hackett Band in 2016, with both a live album and studio album planned for 2017.
Discography
Solo releases
- 2004 - Velvet Afternoon - for Flute and Piano
- 2005 - Checking Out Of London
- 2006 - Red Planet Rhythm
- 2008 - Prelude to Summer – for Flute & Guitar, featuring Steve Hackett and Chris Glassfield
- 2011 - Moonspinner - for Flute and Guitar
- 2013 - Overnight Snow - for Flute and Guitar, with Nick Fletcher and Steve Hackett
- 2015 - Another Life, with Nick Magnus, Anthony Phillips and Steve Hackett
- 2016 - Hills Of Andalucia, with Nick Fletcher
with Steve Hackett
- 1975 - Voyage of the Acolyte
- 1978 - Please Don't Touch
- 1979 - Spectral Mornings
- 1980 - Defector
- 1981 - Cured
- 1983 - Bay of Kings
- 1988 - Momentum
- 1992 - Time Lapse (live)
- 1992 - The Unauthorised Biography
- 1996 - Watcher of the Skies: Genesis Revisited
- 1997 - A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- 1998 - Darktown
- 2000 - Sketches Of Satie
- 2001 - Live Archive
- 2002 - Guitare Classique
- 2002 - Hungarian Horizons (DVD)
- 2003 - To Watch The Storms
- 2005 - Metamorpheus
- 2006 - Wild Orchids
- 2009 - Out of the Tunnel's Mouth
- 2011 - Beyond the Shrouded Horizon
- 2012 - Genesis Revisited II
With others
- 1970 - The Road (Quiet World)
- 1977 - The Geese And The Ghost (Anthony Phillips)
- 1988 - Tears of the Moon (Symbiosis; reissued on CD, 2001)
- 1988 - The Song of the Peach Tree Spring (Symbiosis)
- 1991 - Mirage And Reality (Mae McKenna)
- 1992 - Touching the Clouds (Symbiosis)
- 1994 - Lake of Dreams (Symbiosis)
- 1995 - Autumn Days (Symbiosis)
- 1996 - Amber and Jade (Symbiosis)
- 1999 - Inhaling Green (Nick Magnus)
- 1999 - Sea of Light (Symbiosis)
- 2002 - The Comfort Zone (Symbiosis)
- 2004 - Hexameron (Nick Magnus)
- 2005 - Dancing in Your Dreams (Symbiosis)
- 2009 - JL (Algebra)
- 2010 - The Book of Bilbo and Gandalf (Marco Lo Muscio)
- 2010 - Children of Another God (Nick Magnus)
- 2011 - Live 2010 (John Hackett & Nick Magnus, Magick Nuns Records MNCD1003)
- 2011 - Oddity (Franck Carducci)
- 2012 - "The Rome Pro(G)ject feat. Steve Hackett and John Hackett" cd single - (TRP Records)
- 2012 - "The Rome Pro(G)ject (feat. Steve and John Hackett Nick Magnus David Cross, David Jackson, Richard Sinclair, Francesco Di Giacomo, Vincenzo Ricca and others) cd album - (TRP Records)
- 2012 - Abandoned Buildings (Duncan Parsons)
- 2013 - Playing the History - for Flute, Organ, Piano, Bass, Guitar & Saxophone, with Marco Lo Muscio, Steve Hackett, Carlo Matteucci, David Jackson, & Giorgio Gabriel
- 2014 - C:Ore (Duncan Parsons)
- 2014 - Odysseas (Syndone)
- 2015 - Les Chateaux De La Loire (Ellesmere)