Bill Perkins (saxophonist)
William Reese Perkins was an American cool jazz saxophonist and flutist popular on the West Coast jazz scene, known primarily as a tenor saxophonist. Born in San Francisco, California, 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 1970–1992 and The Lighthouse All-Stars. In the 1960s Perkins had a second career as a recording engineer.Discography
With Chet Baker
- Chet Baker Big Band
- Pretty/Groovy
With Louis Bellson
With Nat King Cole
With Clifford Coulter
With Clare Fischer
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Stan Kenton
- Kenton Showcase
- Contemporary Concepts
- Kenton in Hi-Fi
- Kenton with Voices
- Rendezvous with Kenton
- Back to Balboa
- The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton
- The Stage Door Swings
- Kenton / Wagner
- Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra
With Barney Kessel
With John Lewis,
With Carmen McRae
With Art Pepper and Conte Candoli
With André Previn
With Shorty Rogers
- Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers
- Afro-Cuban Influence
- Shorty Rogers Meets Tarzan
- The Swingin' Nutcracker
- An Invisible Orchard
- Jazz Waltz
With Pete Rugolo
- 10 Saxophones and 2 Basses
With Lalo Schifrin
With Bud Shank
- Bud Shank - Shorty Rogers - Bill Perkins
- Bud Shank & the Sax Section
With Gerald Wilson