” Guitarist/composer/teacher Aengus Hackett is fast becoming a pivotal figure of the
Irish jazz scene. “

Matt Micucci, Jazziz Magazine, USA 2019
(full feature here)

“ Aengus Hackett proved himself an ingenious accompanist as he weaved his licks through the complex guitar chords. When he moved into his solo his octave-licks were sharp, clear, like a featherweight’s knuckles.
…Berrill and Hackett skated tenor sax and guitar licks atop their surface. They seemed to be darting at one another rather than weaving themselves about each other, like two snakes squaring up for a battle. It was tense, different music, that turned the familiarity of Porter’s songbook into an unexplored sonic lexicon. At their best this quartet was thrilling.
…There were flashes of fire. As on “I Love You,” where he (Hackett) closed his solo with a chord run up the neck that shone like a seam of platinum. “

James Fleming, All About Jazz, 2019
(full review here)

“ The Salthouse gigs on the Saturday and Sunday of (Galway Jazz Festival) GJF ’16 were curated by guitarist Aengus Hackett, whose beautifully articulated solo on Miles Davis’ “All Blues” set the tone for the session. Ballads, blues, swing and Broadway hits from yesteryear—Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” being a highlight—were played with an emotional nuance…“

Ian Patterson, All About Jazz, 2016
(full review here)

PHOTOS