Clarinetist Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band entertain at Sidmouth Ham venue

YES, Acker Bilk, one of Britain’s best-known names in jazz, is coming to Sidmouth to perform on Thursday, July 28 at 8pm.

With his trade-mark goatee beard, bowler hat and striped waistcoat, it is nevertheless his clarinet playing and leadership of his Paramount Jazz Band for over 55 years that has brought fame to this Somerset-born jazz musician.

His single Stranger on the Shore – originally written for a TV series soundtrack – topped the charts in 1962 and remained in the UK charts for 55 weeks, earning Acker a gold disc.

Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band appear as a pre-festival special event at Sidmouth FolkWeek at the Ham Concert Marquee at the Port Royal end of the Esplanade.

Tickets are �17 if bought before July 25, �19 from July 25, from the Sidmouth Information Centre at The Ham. Call (01395) 577952.

You can also buy online from www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk.

Acker Bilk started with the legendary Ken Colyer Band, but soon established his own band, the Paramount Jazz Band.

Together, they were one of the best-known bands in the Trad Jazz boom of the 1950s and 60s.

Acker has been honoured with the BBC Jazz Award, an MBE and an honorary MA from the University of Bristol.