Violinist, Mal Hallett, trained and educated at the Boston Conservatory of Music. During World War I, Mal joined Al Moore's band and spent time in France entertaining the troops.
In the 1930's, Hallett would go on to lead his own band. His orchestra spent most of its time in the New England area but enjoyed a very nice level of success for a regional band.
When the Swing Era hit, Hallett was a bit older than most of the other swing leaders, and it's said that he sometimes had trouble connecting with the younger fans. It's also important to add that Hallett battled alcoholism throughout his career and the illness caused him to suffer an injury that prevented him from continuing to play the violin.
Hallett passed away in 1952, but he managed to leave behind a very strong catalog of Big Band music. His band will also be remembered for the amount of sidemen and vocalists that would go on to make an impact on the era including: Gene Krupa, Jack Teagarden, Frankie Carle, Jack Jenney, Toots Mondello, Irene Daye and many others. Let's just say that band was quite stacked with talent.
Unfortunately, I have only stumbled upon a handful of Radio Broadcasts and Transcriptions featuring Mal Hallett. As I find more, I'll be sure to add them to Swing City Radio and play them on the podcast.
Listen to: "Let's Get Lost" by Mal Hallett and His Orchestra from 1942
You can hear the music of Mal Hallett right here on Swing City Radio.
