The Hackney Sacks are a stompin’ new jazz quartet amongst the Melbourne jazz
and swing scene. With a focus on a blend of New Orleans ‘street-beat’ and French
‘hot jazz’ music, the Hackney Sacks were inspired into being by the Kansas Smitty’s House Band (UK).
Described as “a group of jazz-addicted twenty-somethings who run their own bar”, The Kansas Smitty’s band, led by Adrian Cox and Giacomo Smith, inspired us to recreate a similar ensemble here in Melbourne that is just as obsessed with early swing and New Orleans groove music.
The band is spearheaded by clarinetists Cameron McIntyre and Gabriel Basman,
and are supported in the backline by Geryl Leong (Guitar), and Lily Appelt (Upright Bass). This compact lineup deals in every kind of swing-jazz energy, from explosive to intimate. The two clarinets provide the opportunity for many sweet, harmonised melodies, and are supported by the thumping bass and guitar reminiscent of 1940s Paris.