Search - Bill Perkins :: Quietly There

Bill Perkins is a tenor god!

Elmo's Firetruck | Bush Country! | 08/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's amazing to me that Bill Perkins is so little known. He is probably most famous for being a memeber of The Tonight Show band led by Doc Sevrinson all through the 70's and 80's. But Perk made some really great records in the 50's and 60's. The best one was with John Lewis called 'Grand Encounter' on the Pacific Jazz label, but sadly this one is not in print (and it is, in my opinion, one of the 100 greatest jazz LPs of all time). Perk also made a couple of great records with Art Pepper and Richie Kamuca and played on a few memorable Chet Baker records as well. He recorded a really nice Bossa Nova LP in the very early 60's and this 1966 date (released in '69) for Riverside was his only other release of the entire decade. Paired with Vic Feldman (who once turned down an offer to be in Miles Davis' band in the early 60's!) on vibes and piano, Perkins plays "cool" on the surface, but is bubbling with emotion and fire just beneath. Perk comes from the "Lester Young" school, but he has a voice all his own. Every tune on this LP is penned by Johnny Mandel and it's a fine tribute to his skills as a tunesmith. A great, but totally unknown record."