After Dinner Speakers: Acker & His Paramount Jazz Band Bilk, Kathy Staff, Right Said Fred

Acker Bilk is one of the genuine celebrities of British jazz, a veteran of the so-called ‘Trad Boom’ of the 1950s and a chart-topper with his haunting clarinet version of ‘Stranger On The Shore.’ The enduring appeal of his down home jazz style has kept Acker and the band constantly busy for the past four decades. While the personnel of the Paramount Jazz Band may change from time to time, its musical intentions remain the same. Theirs is music with a smile on its face, combining foot-tapping swing, cheery vocals, lively melodic expression and plenty of joyful creativity.