Bob Perkins

I met saxophonist Sam Reed well before he became a legendary figure on the Philadelphia jazz scene. I met him when he was a frequent visitor to the 900…

One November night in the year 1934, a 17-year-old girl was about to take the stage at the Apollo theater’s Amateur Night program and planned to do a…

Many years ago, a group of teenage musicians decided to form a small jazz band in South Philly—they went on to become high-profile players in the jazz…

WRTI's celebration of 100 years of Dave Brubeck continues at 9 AM on Sunday Jazz Brunch with Bob Perkins. And Brubeck isn't the only person to celebrate…

WRTI's own jazz legend Bob Perkins sat down with Kile Smith in December, 2012 for a wide-ranging interview about Dave Brubeck —the man, his music, and his…

I believe the year was 1983 when I was asked if I’d like to emcee a concert at the Academy of Music, headlined by Dave Brubeck and his sons and the Modern…

It was 1959—a pivotal year for jazz as a whole, but for Dave Brubeck it was utterly life changing. After years of college tours he had a smash hit album,…

Some folks—even jazz fans—wouldn’t know that 'Robert Chudnick' was the real name of the musician whose handle was Red Rodney. The once well-known jazz…

Whether you call him Bird, Yardbird, or Parker, saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker—in his short life of 34 years—became a towering presence in the…

The great alto saxophonist and jazz icon Charlie "Yardbird" Parker was only 34 years old when he died in 1955. During his short life, he became one of the…