Ben Hackett has always loved the “flighty and meandering” melodies of Ethiopian tezeta/jazz pioneers Mulatu Estatke and Hailu Mergia. “While ‘Memory Ornament’ isn’t exactly that, the saxophone line is in the same place in my brain,” says the Athens, Ga.-based artist, who also draws a steady paycheck as a staff engineer and session player at David Barbe’s beloved Chase Park Transduction studios.
Welcome to Planet Hackett, where the oddly familiar and the wildly eclectic converge in an alternate instrumental reality that’s strangely hospitable. “Memory Ornament” is one of a dozen tracks spread out over two albums on Hackett’s upcoming debut, Songs For Sleeping Dogs (Strolling Bones). Available May 16, the double-LP was self-produced and mixed with help from Jason Kingsland (Deerhunter, Belle And Sebastian, Youth Lagoon), with Hackett employing a vast array of woodwinds, acoustic instruments and electronics.
For “Memory Ornament,” the list includes acoustic and electric guitars, Omnichord and a ’70s-era Thomas 2001 organ. “The sound of the woodwinds popping in and out of the background is a quartet of recorders: soprano, alto, tenor and bass,” says Hackett. “I wanted to emulate the feeling of a sequenced synthesizer rhythm. But rather than program something, I wanted to play it myself on woodwinds.”
“Memory Ornament” is also the only song on Songs For Sleeping Dogs with a full drum kit. “I went back and forth on whether or not to include the drums,” says Hackett. “They were recorded with one microphone almost as an afterthought, but now they’re one of my favorite parts of the song. It’s an old ’70s Slingerland that used to belong to Ross Shapiro of the Glands, my favorite Athens band of all time. The doubled drums were inspired by my love for Tortoise and the innumerable greats of the Chicago jazz scene, all while keeping the dynamic level manageable enough to not disturb my sleepy dog.”
We’re proud to premiere Ben Hackett’s “Memory Ornament.”
—Hobart Rowland
