Acker Bilk Albums (7)
'The Acker Bilk/Danny Moss Quintet'
Release Date 10/18/2005
Tracks 15
Label Avid UK
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What The Critics Say
Titled for the monster hit which dominated charts around the world in 1962, Stranger on the Shore is light listening at its best, a dozen slices of drifting, clarinet-led melody which simultaneously had absolutely nothing to do with English pop music as it moved toward the denouement of the Mersey boom -- and encapsulates it as well. Whichever golden age of pop history one chooses to look at, the U.K. charts' capacity to throw up unexpected shockers has remained their most constant (and constantly redeeming) feature of all. Whether it's Englebert Humperdinck outselling "Strawberry Fields Forever" in 1967, or Bob the Builder beating Eminem to number one 30-some years later, the most popular pop refuses to be driven by either fad or fashion. And in the light of those successes, Bilk's domination of 1962 seems so natural it's all but mundane. This album, on the other hand, is anything but. Drawing from traditional, classical, and light orchestral sources, Bilk -- expertly accompanied by the Leon Young String Chorale -- is a master of the sweeping epic, and it doesn't matter whether he's tackling a standard as trite as "Deep Purple" or Brahms' Lullaby, or something as impossibly soul-stirring as "Greensleeves." Everything emerges a major statement. "Stranger on the Shore" itself, meanwhile, is so deeply embedded in the musical consciousness that it seems incredible that it's an original Bilk/Young composition, one of just two on the album. The other, "Is This the Blues?," is just as captivating, by the way. With that song and this album, Bilk didn't simply give the world a set of well-played standards; he set a standard which has still to be eclipsed. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide
'The Frankfurt Concert'
Release Date 10/10/2000
Tracks 11
Label Hitchcock
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What The Critics Say
England's Acker Bilk's big 1961 hit, the sugary, vibrato-laden "Stranger on the Shore," masked the fact that Bilk had been (and continues to be) a fine New Orleans jazz performer. With "Stranger," Bilk became the first British artist to top the U.S. pop music charts, paving the way for that other group of Brits, the Beatles. Although the tune is on the program, this live concert focuses on Bilk's true jazz leanings, which he honed as a leading member of the traditional jazz revival in Great Britain during the late '50s and early '60s (sharing that spot with Humphrey Lyttelton). Performing in Frankfurt with his Paramount Jazz Band (which he formed in 1958), Bilk offers a play list of traditional jazz tunes to a large and enthusiastic audience. The clarinetist also displays an authentic blues-tinged Louis Prima-like vocal ability on "After You've Gone." Some tunes are played in the "Stranger" mode, like "A Taste of Honey," offering a pleasant respite from the traditional jazz material. The members of the band are excellent in their own right. Scottish-born pianist Stan Greig is as much responsible as Bilk for the group's sound, with his very strong pianism on many of the tracks (such as "Nagasaki"). John Mortimer and Colin Smith get a chance to move to center stage on trombone and trumpet, respectively. Drummer Ron McKay offers traditional Louis Armstrong scatting on "Dinah." But Bilk is the main attraction on the album. With this release, Hitchcock Media continues to release heretofore unavailable material from the '50s and '60s. This is a fine album and is recommended. ~ Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
'Reflections'
Release Date 5/23/2000
Tracks 14
Label Universal/Spectrum
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'Acker Bilk Plays Lennon & McCartney'
Release Date 5/21/1993
Tracks 14
Label GNP
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What The Critics Say
Acker Bilk was a solid English Dixieland jazz clarinetist who also crossed over into easy listening albums. Acker Bilk Plays Lennon & McCartney probably won't be enjoyed by most rock or jazz fans but it is an entertaining listening experience. One of the interesting things about it is that it includes as many solo cuts from the careers of Lennon & McCartney as it does tracks that the two wrote for The Beatles. The album's sweeping string arrangements and insipid keyboard lines sometimes get in the way of Bilk's concise clarinet playing but his musical personality still manages to shine through. Bilk mostly sticks firmly to the melodies of the songs but often starts improvising at the fade out. Ultimately, the album may contain kitschy elevator music but it's of the sort that's played in the better elevators and the tunes do show how melodically gifted both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were. ~ Nick Dedina, All Music Guide
