About the band

Gigs

 

Edinburgh Jazz Festival 2023

23 July 2023 - Barber, Bilk and Ball
Spiegletent, George Square 5pm

Yorkshire Tour 2023

4,5,6 Aug 2023
Bedale, Darlington, Boston Spa

Fringe by the Sea 2023

15 Aug 2023 - Barber, Bilk and Ball
Marquee, Lodge Groundsr, 1-4pm

 

 

 

Past Gigs

Edinburgh Jazz festival July 2015

Where we were joined by two of Acker's old band, Ian Bateman and Enrico Thomasso

Fringe by the Sea Aug 2015

Cumbernauld Theatre April 2016

Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival 2016

Inverness Jazz festival July 2016

Edinburgh Jazz Festival 2016

Jazz at Hospitalfield 2016

Whighams Jazz Club, Edinburgh 2017

Edinburgh Jazz Festival 2017

Fringe by the Sea Aug 2017

Ayr Jazz Club, Alloway Oct 2017

Edinburgh Jazz Festival 2018

Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival 2018

Callander Jazz & Blues Festival 2018

Nairn Jazz Festival 2018

Bedale Jazz Club

Bedale, Yorkshire 2019

Warrington Jazz Club

Warington 2019

Boston Spa Jazz Club 2019

 

Ball, Barber & Bilk

Kenny Ball, Chris Barber and Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk,

were the foremost names in the British Trad boom of the 50s and 60s. Trumpeter Kenny Ball formed his own band Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen in 1958 quickly scoring hits with tunes like Samantha and Midnight in Moscow. Chris Barber played trombone in various jazz outfits in the 50s and was mainly responsible for arranging the first UK tours of blues artists so spawning the British Rhythm and Blues scene of the 60s. Acker Bilk was an English clarinettist and vocalist known for his appearance – goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat – and breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style. Bilk's 1962 instrumental tune "Stranger on the Shore" became the UK's biggest selling single of 1962: it was in the UK charts for more than 50 weeks, peaked at number two, and was the first No. 1 single in the United States by a British artist.






The Band

Testimonials

Fantastic performance at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival. My foot never stopped tapping!

Janice Campbell

What great memories of the great Acker Bilk's tunes.

eric Wales

Only one video and it's sounded so much like Acker Bilk playing that tune. I mean exactly like!! So, Hamish, if that was you then there should be more videos. Nah..it was Acker..had to be!!

Paula Smith

The band certainly does Acker's memory proud.

Jim Smith