First heard on record with organist Johnny “Hammond” Smith on Riverside back in 1963, the work of tenor saxophonist Houston Person has been consistently enjoyable over the years whether as a bandleader, sideman, and record producer. His latest outing, Live In Paris, recorded at the 2019 Festival Jazz à la Villette, is another winning set with nearly an hour of blues-drenched soulful jazz. Person brought an eminently compatible and supportive quartet to the City of Lights with Peter Bernstein on guitar, Ben Paterson at the Hammond B-3 organ, and Willie Jones III on drums. Together they tackle a choice selection of pop songs and jazz tunes, including Johnny Griffin’s Sweet Sucker, Billy Taylor’s Easy Walker, Lester Young’s timeless Lester Leaps In, and Bobby Hebb’s Sunny, a favorite of saxophonists since it debuted in 1966. While I’m especially partial to the album’s slower numbers, like the band’s stroll through Only Trust Your Heart, a Benny Carter composition introduced by Stan Getz in 1964, and the way that Person caresses ballads like The Way We Were and Since I Fell For You, the truth is there isn’t a dull moment here. Definitely recommended.
HighNote HCD 7338; Houston Person (ts) Ben Paterson (Hammond B3 org) Peter Bernstein (g) Willie Jones III (d), Paris, France, September 8, 2019; Sweet Sucker/ Only Trust Your Heart/ Easy Walker/ The Way We Were/ Lester Leaps In/ Since I Fell for You/ Sunny/ Jean-Jaures Shuffle; 59:02. www.jazzdepot.com
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