( as Acker Bilk, His Clarinet and Strings)
Chart entered : 21 August 1976
Chart peak : 5
We're now well into the long hot summer of 1976, fondly remembered by anyone over 45. In my case it marked the transition from primary to secondary school ( actually delayed by a year due to building work over-running further up the chain ) so by one definition Acker's tootling little tune soundtracked the passing of my childhood as well as supplying a belated full stop to the trad jazz era in the charts. Acker also beat Jerry Lee Lewis's comeback record having been absent for 13 years Since then he had been entertaining on the cabaret circuit.
"Aria" came out of nowhere. The tune was an Italian hit for Dario Baldan Bembo in 1975. Acker plays it simple on his clarinet while an orchestra hums sweetly in the background then at 2:10 a rhythm section kicks in to give it some more oomph, the drums getting progressively more lively until the fade. It wasn't used as the theme to anything , people just heard it* , liked it and bought it , simple as that. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally listen to - now it unfortunately sounds like something from the sort of CD's they play in craft or antique shops - but it's very nice if you're in the right mood for it.
Acker tried to follow up his renewed success with the very similar "Incontro" in October. He provided the musical interlude when the UK hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977. His next few singles were "Love Theme (From "The Eagle Has Landed") which wasn't on the orginal soundtrack, an instrumental version of Andy Fairweatherlow's "Dancing in the Dark", "Universe " a collaboration with Wimbledon High School Choir, the themes from Mister Men and The Incredible Hulk , another collaboration with the WHSC on "Aranjuez Mon Amour" , "Verde" "On Sunday" and finally "Find A Way" in 1981.
Acker left the singles market then and his career took a predictable path , regular touring often with his peers Chris Barber and Kenny Ball as the 3B's and cheap CDs of pop covers mirroring on the clarinet what Hank Marvin and the Shadows were doing on guitars with the same predictable song choices. More credibly he also appeared on three Van Morrison albums.
In 2000 he overcame throat cancer. He later had to deal with bladder cancer and a minor stroke. He died two months ago not long after celebrating his Diamond wedding anniversary.
* I'm guessing maybe Radio Two picked up on it ?
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