Walter Perkins

Best known because the leader from the short-lived MJT + 3 during 1959-1962, Walter Perkins was a longtime fixture within the Chicago jazz picture. He obtained some acknowledgement for using the Ahmad Jamal Trio during 1956-1957 (before Jamal actually captured on). A 1957 arranged for Argo led by Perkins (and in addition offering trumpeter Paul Serrano, tenor saxophonist Nicky Hill, the youthful pianist Richard Abrams, and bassist Bob Cranshaw) utilized the name of MJT Plus 3. The better-known edition from the music group (with trumpeter Willie Thomas, altoist Frank Strozier, pianist Harold Mabern, and bassist Cranshaw) documented three albums for Vee-Jay during 1959-1960 and was well-known for a while locally before splitting up in 1962. Perkins after that caused Sonny Rollins (1962) so when an accompanist to Carmen McRae (1962-1963), gigged with Artwork Farmer and Teddy Wilson in 1964, and continued to be located in Chicago for many years. Walter Perkins documented having a who’s who of jazz including Jamal, George Shearing, Gene Ammons, Carmen McRae, Charles Mingus, Billy Taylor, Booker Ervin, Artwork Farmer, Jaki Byard, Lucky Thompson, Pat Martino, Harold Mabern, and Charles Earland, among numerous others.