[Dixielandjazz] Acker

[Marek Boym]

Acker Bilk was an extremely funny person.
At some time, he had a regular programme on the BBC, "Anchors aweigh."  The
routine was one jazz number, one popular, often extremely humorous, song,
and funny remarks by Bilk in between.  I was addicted.  And I'll never
forget "My English Country Garden!"
As to waistcoats - they were a part of his pop star image rather than his
jazz side.  After all, for a long time Acker Bilk was extremely popular
with non-jazz audience, and recorded lots of non-jazz albums.  But his
greatest hit, "Stranger on the Shore," still sounded a lot like a jazz
musician with strings.
Cheers

On 3 November 2014 12:55, Patrick Ladd <patrickjladd at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> Acker lived at Pensford. About 8 miles from my home and within easy reach
> of Bath and Bristol. I couldn`t claim to have known him but he was always
> around  `the scene`.
>
> Although `Stranger on the Shore` which was only the background music for a
> TV series will always remind me of him, his appearance on  local TV News
> with his band when he had just returned from a tour in Germany which really
> established him was the defining moment for me. His interview was
> hilarious. His thick Somerset accent and his sense of humour came through
> clearly. The interview  closed with the expected `Will you play something
> for us`. Acker picked up his clarinet, turned to the band and said `Blow,
> you buggers` and played the show out.
> I knew a guy from Pensford who was in Ackers early group. He told me that
> the band won a local talent contest in the very early days, and part of the
> prize was the opportunity to play at the dance which followed the contest.
> Unfortunately the band only knew two tunes, one of which they had won the
> contest with and were stuck trying to be a `real  band ` for the evening,
> more or less making it up as they went along. I was also told that before
> the band had settled into its regular combination various musicians came
> and went and it was not unusual that an instrument which no one could play
> was required for an arrangement.  Acker would depute someone to be able to
> play  by next Saturday and an instrument would be borrowed or hired and
> someone in the band would learn the simple fingering  or a couple of chord
> shapes well enough to be able to get through the number.
>
> One thing Acker never had a problem with was the waistcoats and bowler
> which seems to worry some of our listmates so much.
>
> Pat
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