 Houston Person©Andrea Canter
“He’s one of the best . . . He’s got bull chops!” – Dizzy Gillespie
Dubbed “the natural heir to the Boss Tenor crown worn so long and so well by Gene Ammons” (Bob Porter, liner notes for The Party), 73-year-old global performer Houston Person knows the music business inside out, from booking his own tours to producing his own albums. As eclectic as he is talented, Person has recorded everything from disco and gospel to pop and r&b, in addition to his trademark, souful hard bop. After years as producer and house tenor for High Note Records and touring with the late Etta Jones, Person is getting renewed recognition as a master of popular songs played in a relaxed, highly accessible style. On May 23-25, Houston Person brings his swinging quartet to Jazz at Pearls in San Francisco—and nothing beats bluesy, feel-good jazz. Person grew up in Florence, South Carolina, and remembers his parents listening to lots of music at home, including jazz. First playing piano before switching to the tenor sax at age 17, he went on to study music at South Carolina State College (where he is included in the school’s Hall of Fame), and later pursued advanced studies at Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. As a member of the United States Air Force band stationed in Germany, he played with Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton, and Don Ellis, later working as a sideman for organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith in the mid 1960s.
Person built his reputation as a leader with a series of soulful recordings for Prestige in the 60s. However, he was often upstaged by his legendary partnership with the great vocalist, Etta Jones, which lasted over 30 years until her death in 2001. Recently he has performed with vocalist Barbara Morrison, and was with her at the Dakota last spring where they taped a live recording, due out next month.  Houston Person©Andrea Canter Wrote Gary Giddens in the Village Voice, “I have always admired Houston Person for his huge tone, bluff humor, and pointed obbligato…Person lucidly rides the beat with figures you think you've heard but haven't. These are not recycled licks or clichés; they simply seem familiar, like family… gray hair aside, Person is unchanged, an unmoved mover of certain jazz essentials.” Ask him what’s important in his music, and Houston Person notes that, “It's important that it's relaxing…Relaxes you and makes you feel good… I'm going to always play the things that I think contributes to good jazz, such as the blues and swinging.” For a relaxing, swinging evening, check out Houston Person this weekend at Jazz at Pearl’s, May 23-25. For more information about Houston Person, see http://members.tripod.com/~hardbop/person.html. Jazz at Pearls is located at 256 Columbus (at Pacific) in San Francisco; www.jazzatpearls.com
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Monday, 01 December 2008
