Walter Norris possessed exceptional command of the keyboard, crafting improvisations notable for their harmonic density while preserving a strong melodic thread. Greater recognition in his native country eluded him largely because he chose to base himself in Germany for so many years. As a teenager he collaborated with Howard Williams across Arkansas from 1944 to 1950, spent the next two years in Houston alongside Jimmy Ford, fronted a trio of his own in Las Vegas between 1953 and 1954, and afterward established residence in Los Angeles. During the second half of the 1950s he appeared on numerous recording sessions, most prominently those led by Jack Sheldon, Frank Rosolino, and Herb Geller, as well as on Ornette Coleman’s debut album in 1958. Although he adapted to that unorthodox context, Coleman would not employ another pianist for decades aside from Paul Bley’s appearance at the Hillcrest Club. From 1963 to 1970 Norris served as music director at the Playboy Club, then performed with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra between 1974 and 1976. Following a period in Scandinavia and a short engagement with Charles Mingus, he relocated to Berlin in 1977 and remained there for the rest of his career, teaching and performing regularly. Several return visits to the United States took place during the 1990s; on those occasions he documented his work for Concord and revealed the considerable artistic development that had occurred over the preceding two decades. Berlin nonetheless stayed his permanent home until his death on October 29, 2011, two months before his eightieth birthday.
