Smooth Clarinet with Strings - Acker Bilk at his Best
Written: Mar 21 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: Beautiful music, played beautifully, by a man people call "Friend".
Cons: Would like more technical info (but that doesn't interfere with listening enjoyment).
The Bottom Line: Fine collection for Acker Bilk fans or those just discovering him. His clarinet is just as sexy as a sax and the strings support the absolute mellowness of this album.
bonnieleigh's Full Review: Best of...His Clarinet & Strings by Acker Bilk
I'm always surprised at the number of people who don't know the name Acker Bilk. Theirmemory is usually jogged when I mention "Stranger on the Shore", which was the fifrst ever hit to hit Number One in both the US and across the pond in England, Mr. Bernard Stanley Bilk's homeland. This gorgeous song written by Bilk, made him an international star in 1962.
Mate Bilk ("Acker" means "friend" or "Mate" in his home territory of Somerset) loves jazz, and loves playing his clarinet. Judging from all his music I've heard, his main love is very smooth jazz, and his clarinet often sounds like a saxophone, sweet, sexy, sensual, not as raucous as the big band sounds of a few years earlier.
This CD features songs written by other folks, mostly (Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, Phil Spector and others) and many that are usually recorded as vocals instead of strictly instrumental. All the tracks are very smooth and relaxing and romantic.
Track listing: 1. Stranger on the Shore 2. Feelings 3. The Way We Were 4. Moonlight in Vermont 5. Invitation 6. What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life 7. Send in the Clowns 8. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling 9. Windmills of Your Mind 10. Just the Way You Are 11. Touch Me in the Morning 12. Chariots of Fire 13. For the Good Times 14. Little Green Apples 15. Love Letters 16. Goodnight, Tonight
The only problem with starting with "Stranger on the Shore" is that nothing else can compare, especially in this even more mellowed-out version of the popular release version (no information about the recording date or session or such is given in liner notes; I just recognize it as being different in this way from the original, which I have on another album). The good part of starting with this lovely song is that if I ever think I'm in an Acker Bilk mood, that is exactly what I want to hear first!
Other favorites on this CD are "Touch Me in the Morning," which at places almost sounds like the clarinet is speaking the words, and "For The Good Times," an old Ray Price hit on this side of the pond. This CD runs about 50 to 55 minutes long and is definitely not too long - i.e., you're not bored with Bilk's style and performance by the end of the CD, though you MAY be sated and decide to throw something else in the player next.
"Chariots of Fire" is my least favorite on the CD, not because of Acker Bilk's playing - I just don't like the song much. He does a fine job of it, and if I had to listen to the song, I'd pick this version anytime. If I were smart enough to program my player, however, I'd delete this one when playing the CD.
There are a couple of songs here that I'm not personally familiar with - "Invitation" and "Goodnight, Tongiht," though the first is vaguely familiar, perhaps from a movie soundtrack somewhere. Again, Friend Bilk does an excellent job on them, but they are definitely not among my favorites on this offering.
Although I (rarely) put Acker Bilk in the changer to go to sleep by, I think this CD is much better for romantic background music, dancing in front of the fireplace, or just bringing down the level of chaos on your afternoon commute. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes smooth jazz. And if you like a smooth sax, you'll like this sensuous clarinet in the nine-fingered hands of this master!
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