RIP Acker Bilk

[Hornblower]

My hero, my inspiration, the reason why I became a professional musician. Rest easy big man.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

A jazz great. Only Chris Barber left now from the golden age of British Jazz.

 

[Seagull on the wing]

No longer a Stranger on the Shore....R.I.P. Acker.

 

[Crispy Ambulance]

A truly amazing musician. RIP big fella.

 

[catfish]

Great musician and one helluva character. RIP.

 

[Dave the OAP]

 

[Box of Frogs]

RIP

Remember the likes of him and Kenny Ball being regulars on TV back in the 70s. Quite a character.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Although a clarinet jazz musician ask most people of a certain age who Acker Bilk was and they would know who he was, what he looked like, the instrument he played and at least one of his recordings.
Which says a hell of a lot about the man.

 

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

That's weird. I was just on rapidchecker to see who has been repeatedly calling my mobile and noticed a banner at the side of the page saying "Acker Bilk "fed up" with playing hit tune" and how he's bored of "stranger on the shore" and having to play it every time he gigs.

I then log into NSC and this thread is first thing I see...spooky.

 

[twowheelsbest]

"The Seven Ages of Acker" - the first 33 1/3 vinyl album I ever owned! Still got it tucked away somewhere - great Jazzer RIP

 

[dazzer6666]

RIP. Legend.

 

[The Large One]

Stranger on the Shore spent 55 weeks in the chart, in the days when it was just the top 40.

 

[Norman Potting]

Trivial fans, the tune was used as the theme to a TV series about a French girl working in the UK, with the series named after the tune rather than the other way round as is usually the case....and the show was set in Brighton.

Great tune, very moody.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

RIP Acker

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[Napier]

My dad passed this evening. He bought my son his first saxophone eight years ago on the understanding he would transpose "stranger on the shore" and play it for him on alto. He did so and then a couple of months ago played it for him on a soprano. Rest in peace both of you.

 

[BensGrandad]

I liked the record and played it to my uncle who was in the Covent Garden Opera House and he picked holes in it saying that it was technically awful with wrong notes etc, but what would he have known he was only a professional, and I was a youngster and loved it like most people.

 

[dazzer6666]

My dad passed this evening. He bought my son his first saxophone eight years ago on the understanding he would transpose "stranger on the shore" and play it for him on alto. He did so and then a couple of months ago played it for him on a soprano. Rest in peace both of you.

Sorry to hear that. Condolences to you and your family.

 

[Hornblower]

Like all the very best virtuoso performances, Stranger On The Shore is not hard to play, but Acker made it uniquely his own.

 

[BensGrandad]

As I said my uncle heard the original 45 rpm version I had bought and picked holes in it saying that should have been a B sharp or whatever I dont know as I am not that musical. He did say however that once the sheet music came out the bum notes would be rectified and future versions would be better technically

 

[Hornblower]

I liked the record and played it to my uncle who was in the Covent Garden Opera House and he picked holes in it saying that it was technically awful with wrong notes etc, but what would he have known he was only a professional, and I was a youngster and loved it like most people.

That's a sad story. It's certainly true that some years ago a lack of understanding of the value, nature and quality of genres of music other than classical amongst orchestral musicians was commonplace. Thankfully, that no longer seems to be the case. For the record, there are no wrong notes. It's a beautiful and unique performance. In all probability, your Uncle was just having an allergic reaction to vibrato. Vibrato is anathema to classical clarinettists and Acker had vibrato by the cider barrel full.