Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Houston Person: Live in Paris

Houston Person: Live in Paris

By Jack Bowers
November 17, 2021
View read count

The greatest jazz musicians have one trait in common; they make everything sound so ridiculously easy that listeners are liable to lose sight of the blood, sweat and tears which brought them to that pinnacle. Tenor saxophonist

Houston Person

saxophone, tenor
b.1934

" data-original-title="" title="">Houston Person, an octogenarian who keeps sidestepping every obstacle including Father Time, is one such master; regardless of groove or tempo, he seems perfectly at home, never letting an audience see him sweat, even on flag-wavers such as "Lester Leaps In," one of eight well-chosen numbers on Live in Paris, an impressive and tasteful hour-long concert recorded at the Festival Jazz a la Villette in pre-covid September 2019.

Person comes from a line of free-wailing tenor saxophonists that dates back at least as far as

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon,

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

saxophone, tenor
1922 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis,

Gene Ammons

saxophone, tenor
1925 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Gene Ammons and

Sonny Stitt

saxophone
1924 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Stitt and includes

Lucky Thompson

saxophone
1924 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Lucky Thompson,

Wardell Gray

saxophone, tenor
1921 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Wardell Gray,

Johnny Griffin

saxophone, tenor
1928 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Griffin and

Hank Mobley

saxophone, tenor
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Mobley, among others. Known primarily as a peerless balladeer, Person spreads his wings in Paris to embrace not only ballads but blues, bossas and burners. Having blown his way through the Great American Songbook many times by now, he makes only one stop there—Marvin Hamlisch's "The Way We Were"—focusing instead on enticing themes by Griffin,

Benny Carter

saxophone, alto
1907 - 2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Carter,

Billy Taylor

piano
1921 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Taylor, Buddy Johnson, Bobby Hebb and

Lester Young

saxophone
1909 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Lester Young (the aforementioned "Lester Leaps In"). Person himself wrote the swinging, bluesy finale, "Jean-Jaures Shuffle."

The tenor titan chooses his sidemen as carefully as he does his themes. Even when you are the featured soloist, it is good to have three bandmates who are exemplary in that area as well. Guitarist

Peter Bernstein

guitar
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Bernstein, organist

Ben Paterson

piano
b.1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Paterson and drummer

Willie Jones III

drums
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Willie Jones III are called on often, and each one confirms Person's unerring judgement. Bernstein is the first to step forward, on Griffin's light-hearted blues, "Sweet Sucker," which precedes Carter's mellow bossa, "Only Trust Your Heart," and Taylor's aptly named "Easy Walker," which swings hard at a medium tempo. The even-tempered "The Way We Were" sets the stage for the session's flame-thrower, "Lester Leaps In," on which Jones takes a sharp and invigorating solo while Bernstein and Paterson pull their weight. A second ballad, Johnson's "Since I Fell for You," leads to the bright, melodic "Sunny" and frisky "Jean-Jaures Shuffle," during which Person introduces the members of the quartet and bids the audience goodnight.

An hour well spent, for concertgoers and listeners alike. Whatever imponderable talent it takes to stay at the top of one's game for almost six decades, as Person has, he still has it in abundance. Live in Paris certainly bears that out.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Sweet Sucker; Only Trust Your Heart; Easy Walker; The Way We Were; Lester Leaps In; Since I Fell for You; Sunny; Jean-Jaures Shuffle.

Personnel

Houston Person

saxophone, tenor

Peter Bernstein

guitar

Ben Paterson

piano

Willie Jones III

drums

Album information

Title: Live in Paris | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: HighNote Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Giorgos Tabakis: Moovin' With The Ei...
< Previous

Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: T...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.