[Dixielandjazz] Bilkissimo

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

Humph wanted to emphasize Acker's accomplishment. Earle Warren an Acker fan!!!

The prodigious altoist Preston Love, on a radio review long ago during which he was recovering from the severe blow of having been asked if he'd known Eddie Cleanhead Vinson (the interviewer found he had just told Preston very badly that one of his oldest friends was dead) mentioned his wartime substitution for Warren with Basie. Another and very acute experience of temporariness, incredulity that anyone could suppose Earle Warren's chair Earle Warren's, to be surrendered by anybody in it. Some ancients have even complained that Basie's pandering to fans of tenor saxophone denied Warren, and Jack Washington, due recognition. Washington's baritone did emerge when the man was in semi-retirement, with him on a Paul Quinichette Basie music date for I think Prestige. It's on CD.  


An amazing performance I haven't heard in years I first heard long ago when it was new and Jim Waugh on an alas subsequently axed radio jazz show on Glasgow's local RADIO CLYDE station played from the Stan Tracey big band Ellington recording an item impressive by any standards with Acker Bilk blowing the roof off. Anybody got an mp3? Sshhhh....  

There's a splendid feature number with Preston Love and big band on a ghastly ragbag of Savoy label recordings which also includes cocktail music, packaged with notes by a creature called Billy Vera pretty well on the floor with the tin alley panworthy hack who got to deface the back of LPs sleeves including early Ellington on the ACE OF HEARTS label. 

Worth remembering quite how good were some of the musicians the best were better than,

R




>________________________________
> From: Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
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>I wish to emphasize one sentence in Robert's posting - it reflects my own sentiment:
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>>Humphrey Lyttelton had a lovely tale of Earle at a Festival breaking off a conversation when he heard and recognised Acker Bilk's playing and made off not to miss any more of Acker's gig.
>>great listener as well as great reedman!
>>
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>With me, Acker may be partly nostalgia - he was the first western jazz musician I've ever heard live (I was a teenager then), but Earle Warren is aanother story altogether.
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>Cheers
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