[Dixielandjazz] Acker Bilk RIP

[Graham Martin]

G'day,

Sad news indeed. One of my heroes who not only had a unique swinging
clarinet sound but also understood that entertainment and fun are so
important to the jazz mix. So many great reminiscences of evenings listening
to his band in the late fifties and early sixties. 

Thanks Acker and, if I may:

"Good night folks, and remember - if it was not for Venetian blinds it would
be curtains for the lot of us!"

Best,

Grah

Graham Martin
REDLAND BAY
Qld. AUSTRALIA

-----Original Message-----
From: Ken Mathieson [mailto:ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk] 
Sent: Monday, 3 November 2014 8:44 AM
To: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Acker Bilk RIP

Hi Folks,

Once again it's sad news from UK: I heard on the BBC Radio news just now
that Acker has died aged 85. He was a very fine clarinet player with a very
personal and immediately recognisable tone. Just last week, in a piece
prompted by Brian Lemon's death, I wrote of how Acker's first-class ear and
intuitive awareness enabled him to fit his improvisations accurately onto
Brian's unscripted passing harmonies. But he was much more than a fine
musician: he was an excellent bandleader and a great front man whose down to
earth personality and natural wit made him a fine communicator with
audiences.

Bandleaders generally fall into two categories: tyrant or one of the lads.
Acker was definitely one of the lads and enjoyed the banter onstage and off
and especially enjoyed being in the bar with the band after the gig,
swapping jokes, tall tales and musicians' anecdotes.

I'd known him off and on from the early 1960s onwards and played with him
quite a bit about 20 years ago. He ued to get occasional gigs in Scotland
which filled dates in his diary but didn't pay enough to bring his whole
band up from London, so he'd bring trumpeter Colin Smith as "straw boss" and
ask trombonist John McGuff to play and to fix a rhythm section. We did a
number of dates with him and riotous fun was had by all. In spite of all his
success, he was still the same Acker: no pretensions, full of ribald humour
and treated everyone as a pal. 

My fondest memory of him was a gig in an Edinburgh hotel bar on the last day
of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival in the late 1980's. The band was Doc
Cheatham, Roy Williams, Acker, Brian Lemon, Len Skeat and me, and this was
the gig here Acker "got off" on Brian's harmonic inventions. But it wasn't
just Acker who was at the top of his game: it was one of those gigs where
nobody could put a foot wrong and the whole band swung fiercely and
inventively. For years after, I was regularly asked by all the guys involved
if a recording of the concert had ever surfaced, as it was a memorable gig
for everyone concerned. So far, nothing has been unearthed, but he survivors
all live in hope as it would make a fantastic memento and live recording.

So Vale Acker; it was an honour and a great pleasure to know you. I'll raise
a glass to you tonight.

Ken Mathieson