Jazz Articles about Houston Person

About Houston Person

Album Review

Houston Person: From the Heart

Read "From the Heart" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 20, 2026

There are seldom any big surprises when tenor saxophonist Houston Person releases a new album. On the other hand, there are few moments that are less than pleasing, as consistency and good taste have been and remain Person's calling cards throughout his more than 60-year career as one of the jazz world's leading artists. Known for his warm, blues-drenched sound, Person, now in his 90s but showing few signs of bowing to Father Time, draws his magnetism From ...

Album Review

Diane Marino: Romance In The Dark

Read "Romance In The Dark" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
November 9, 2024

Romance in the Dark, from highly-versatile vocalist-pianist-arranger Diane Marino and a team of Nashville's top studio players, offers 10 entertaining selections. Comprised of covers of well-known standards and classic soul material (with a handful-plus being remixed and remastered from the vocalist's previously released recordings), it is a thoroughly enjoyable and, yes, romantic effort. “Out of This World" opens the session in a lush exotic atmosphere. Originally recorded by Jo Stafford and nearly a jazz standard, Marino dives ...

Album Review

Sean Hong Wei & Jeremy Monteiro: The New Jersey Sessions

Read "The New Jersey Sessions" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
July 1, 2024

The New Jersey Sessions is a testament to the vitality of jazz brought to life by pianist Jeremy Monteiro and tenor saxophonist Sean Hong Wei, with the iconic Houston Person adding his legendary sound to a couple of notable tracks. The album serves up a rich tapestry of eight jazz standards (and one original from Monteiro) which provide a road map to blending traditional jazz elements with a modern sensibility by an ensemble which includes trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, bassist Jay ...

Album Review

Synia Carroll: Water is My Song

Read "Water is My Song" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello

by Nicholas F. Mondello
June 20, 2024

Water is My Song, from Sarasota-based vocalist Synia Carroll, sends up ten terrific vocals, tasteful solos and surprises. Water-related selections and themes span across the date wherein Carroll and her team of fine players hit on the classics, hand-picked gems and uniquely presented traditional fare. “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" starts things swinging with Carroll's “Great Divas of Jazz"-inspired pipes swaying and over a laid-back rhythm bed. Guest artist Houston Person offers a tasty ...

Album Review

Synia Carroll: Water is My Song

Read "Water is My Song" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
June 11, 2024

Vocalist Synia Carroll's Water is My Song is a journey through musical fluidity. She gracefully navigates the currents of jazz with a collection of offbeat compositions inspired by the ebb and flow of water. The album is enriched by an ensemble of stellar musicians including pianist John Di Martino, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Jerome Jennings with guests including the impeccable tenor saxophonist Houston Person on two tracks. The ten-track set opens with the Harold Arlen/Eric ...

Album Review

Peter Hand: Blue Topaz

Read "Blue Topaz" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
February 24, 2024

Peter Hand has a hand in almost everything on Blue Topaz, playing masterful guitar, writing seven of the album's ten engaging numbers and arranging all of them. He also spliced together a pair of blue-chip ensembles for his first small-group recording after three well-received big-band albums, and invited his longtime friend--and legendary tenor saxophonist--Houston Person to sit in on two tracks. Person had also guested on one of the guitarist's big-band recordings, Out of Hand (2014). Hand's ...

Album Review

Emmet Cohen: Master Legacy Series Volume 5 Featuring Houston Person

Read "Master Legacy Series Volume 5 Featuring Houston Person" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
October 2, 2023

From its languid beginning, saxophonist Houston Person's own warmly engaging “Why Not?," to its closing, Etta James' slinky seduction “Sunday Kind of Love," Emmet Cohen's Master Legacy Series Vol. 5 Featuring Houston Person is a decidedly laid-back affair, unlike much of its predecessors which featured Jimmy Cobb, Ron Carter, George Coleman, Benny Golson and Albert Tootie" Heath. Maybe that is just the eighty-eight year old Person's influence. His big tone and big presence fill the studio with a ...