BBC 4 screened a vintage episode of Jazz 625 - a TV show which Bill Bruford recalls being an avid viewer of in his youth. The episode features Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band and was recorded in the Marquee Club.
Bilk, who had a monumental hit with the lugubrious ballad Stranger On The Shore on both sides of the Atlantic in 1961, has a couple of connections to the world of Crimson.
A young Robert Fripp was swept up in the trad jazz phenomena that was all the rage in Britain during the late 50s and early 60s, queuing up to see bands led by Monty Sunshine, Chris Barber and Acker Bilk. The trad jazz craze was covered in an hour-long documentary also on BBC 4 last night and includes more footage of Bilk in action.
The trad jazz scene also led Ian Wallace to an epiphany. He’d been happy enough picking out tunes while listening to the radio on a guitar his mother had bought for him. However, it was not until he went to a performance of Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band at Bury’s Royal Cinema that his true musical interests were revealed. As he stood queuing for an ice cream near the front of the stage, Wallace looked up and saw the stage lights reflecting of the coloured shells of the drums. Looking at the kit, he underwent an almost religious experience. "The heavens opened up with a choir of angels and something said ’That’s what you’re supposed to do.’"
For those folks who’ve only ever seen photographs of the legendary club (such as this one)...
...the Jazz 625 show with Acker Bilk gives you a much better sense of the room which helped Crimson come to prominence.
The Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London played host to a memorable residency by Crimson and on this very date 44 years ago they were sharing the bill with John Surman’s Octet as part of the club’s New Paths initiative which sought to find a common ground between rock and jazz.
The band had first played at the club on May 16th (Fripp’s 23rd birthday) where they were supporting US visitor’s Steppenwolf. After witnessing KC do their thing, Steppenwolf vocalist John Kay was heard to have memorably quipped "Follow that. They sound like a bleeding orchestra."
Bilk, who had a monumental hit with the lugubrious ballad Stranger On The Shore on both sides of the Atlantic in 1961, has a couple of connections to the world of Crimson.
A young Robert Fripp was swept up in the trad jazz phenomena that was all the rage in Britain during the late 50s and early 60s, queuing up to see bands led by Monty Sunshine, Chris Barber and Acker Bilk. The trad jazz craze was covered in an hour-long documentary also on BBC 4 last night and includes more footage of Bilk in action.
The trad jazz scene also led Ian Wallace to an epiphany. He’d been happy enough picking out tunes while listening to the radio on a guitar his mother had bought for him. However, it was not until he went to a performance of Acker Bilk and His Paramount Jazz Band at Bury’s Royal Cinema that his true musical interests were revealed. As he stood queuing for an ice cream near the front of the stage, Wallace looked up and saw the stage lights reflecting of the coloured shells of the drums. Looking at the kit, he underwent an almost religious experience. "The heavens opened up with a choir of angels and something said ’That’s what you’re supposed to do.’"
For those folks who’ve only ever seen photographs of the legendary club (such as this one)...
...the Jazz 625 show with Acker Bilk gives you a much better sense of the room which helped Crimson come to prominence.
The Marquee Club in Wardour Street, London played host to a memorable residency by Crimson and on this very date 44 years ago they were sharing the bill with John Surman’s Octet as part of the club’s New Paths initiative which sought to find a common ground between rock and jazz.
The band had first played at the club on May 16th (Fripp’s 23rd birthday) where they were supporting US visitor’s Steppenwolf. After witnessing KC do their thing, Steppenwolf vocalist John Kay was heard to have memorably quipped "Follow that. They sound like a bleeding orchestra."
