Person · Male
Bill Perkins
jazz saxophonist
- From
- San Francisco, United States
- Active
- 1924–2003
- Releases
- 20
- jazz
- cool jazz
- hard bop
About
William Reese Perkins ((1924-07-22)July 22, 1924 – (2003-08-09)August 9, 2003) was an American cool jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and flutist, popular on the West Coast jazz scene, known primarily as a tenor saxophonist.
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Born in San Francisco, California, United States, Perkins started performing in the big bands of Woody Herman and Jerry Wald. He worked for the Stan Kenton orchestra, which led to his entry into the cool jazz idiom. He began performing with Art Pepper and Bud Shank. He was also a member of The Tonight Show Band from 1970 to 1992 and The Lighthouse All-Stars. In the 1960s, Perkins had a second career as a recording engineer.
He died of cancer in his Sherman Oaks home at the age of 79.
Member of
-
The Five tenor saxophone
-
André Previn Ensemble tenor saxophone
Discography
Albums
-
The Brothers !
-
Grand Encounter
-
Bossa Nova With Strings Attached
-
The Front Line
-
Confluence
-
Shades of Dring
-
Serious Swingers
-
Our Man Woody
-
Quietly There
-
Just Friends
-
Tenors Head-On
-
I Wished on the Moon Apple Music
-
Perk Plays Prez
-
On Stage: The Bill Perkins Octet
-
Silver Storm
-
2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West
Compilations
Links
Concerts
Also known as
William Perkins
Tags
- saxophonist
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- df71a2e3-e706-41a2-9a60-b447ec9a36aa
- ISNI
- 0000000055135536
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 8 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.