Page 34 - SPIRE Apr-Jun 2022 2nd Issue DIGITAL

the world but it was not like performing live in from of an
audience. I was lucky to have my dad who I could jam with and
bounce ideas off of but in all honesty, it has been a rough time.
Things are looking up though and I’m looking forward to playing a
HENRY ACKER TRIO
huge festival in Pennsylvania as
Henry Acker is an eighteen year old jazz guitarist who performs in the style of Django well as coming to The Spire.
Reinhardt. A child prodigy who began playing at age 8 and performing professionally at age
9, his talent and abilities have developed into nothing short of astonishing. Henry has
already shared the stage with jazz greats Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, Julian Lage, Bireli Is there a particular place where you feel most creative?
Lagrene and Vic Juris as well as Gypsy Jazz legends Samson Schmitt, Mozes Rosenberg, The places where I feel most creative are the places where I feel
Adrien Moignard and Joscho Stephane. He is the winner of the 2017 Djangofest North the most relaxed. Home is one of those places but the stage is
West Saga Award and a four time winner of the Downbeat Magazine Student Award for jazz where my mind really takes off. When the band is really swinging
guitar soloist. Based In Boston, MA, he also dazzles audiences at Jazz Festivals across the hard and the sound is good, I just go to other places. It really
United States and Europe. He performs with his father, jazz guitarist Victor Acker and his inspires me to take chances while I am improvising. I love
Uncle Dana Acker on the double bass. Henry's career is in full swing and red hot. Ladies and throwing in an unexpected quote or pulling of a run on my guitar
gentleman, presenting Henry Acker! that is something people have never heard before. I love to
surprise the audience.
QUESTIONS WITH everybody there and those who I didn’t know, knew who I was - I read that you would love to travel more. Given how Jazz is
The Kid from America. Being on stage and looking out at all these
amazing players in the audience was something I will never forget.
much more appreciated outside of the US, have you thought
I jammed with everybody that day and I think I floated back up to
about doing a world tour once you finish school? Any specific
Paris when it was over.
location/country, that you would love to include as a stop?
My top priority when I finish school is to travel world wide. I am
Of your own compositions, which one is your favorite and why? lucky to know fantastic players from all over and I hope to
Of the tunes that I have composed, my favorite is a piece called perform with them. At the top of my list is France, The
“For Benoit” and it was written for a hero of mine - Benoit Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Finland which is where
HENRY ACKER Convert. Another French player who is, although unknown here, Gypsy Jazz is most popular and where I know the most players.
What was it like playing the biggest Gypsy Jazz fest in the world, one of the best guitarists in the world. He is very innovative and Eventually I would like to hit all of Europe and Japan. I had
The Django Reinhardt Festival in Fountainbleu France? Describe clever and lyrical with a technical ability that is unbelievable. The somebody recently send me an article in a Japanese jazz
that whole experience. song just came to me and the chords just flowed in a way that is magazine about me. I was blown away. I need to make up the two
very catchy and simple but allows me to improvise over it in a way
It was like a dream come true. Since I began performing, I had been that showcases my abilities. I’m proud to have it in the set this years that I lost from the lockdown and really get things rolling
told by many, many players that I absolutely had to go to the year. again and I can’t wait to get started.
Fountainbleu festival. How it actually came about was that I was
performing at the biggest Gypsy Jazz Fest in the U.S. in 2018 - Because of COVID lockdowns, the touring world came to a
DjangoFest North West, just outside of Seattle. I was hanging out screeching halt as well as in school learning. What has the last 2
in a common area at the festival when two of the most prominent years been like for you and how have you been adapting/coping HENRY ACKER TRIO
players from France walked in. Mathieu Chatelain and Adrien to all these changes? W E D , J U N 0 1 | 7 : 3 0 P M
Moignard. I introduced myself and we sat down and jammed. That The last two years of lockdown were very, very hard and $15
jam is on YouTube by the way. So after we got done playing, happened at a time when things were really taking off for me.
Mathieu said “Henry, I book the stage at Django Fest There were gig opportunities lining up all over in the U.S. and
Fountainbleu. If you can make it there I will get you on.” It just so Europe. I was supposed to be headed to Las Vegas and Amsterdam
happened that my father wanted to spend his 60th birthday in when everything came to a halt. I was able to play a few things
Paris and so while we were there, I made it down to Fountainbleu locally last year but for the most part I spent the time practicing HENRY ACKER: 14
and true to his word, I got to perform at the festival. When I first things I needed to get better at and learning tunes I needed to AVAILABLE ON ITUNES NOW!
got off the train, everyone in the community was there. I knew know. I did a bunch of virtual collaborations with friends all over
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