Houston Person (born November 10, 1934) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz . He received the "Eubie Blake Jazz Award" in 1982.
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Houston Person
Person performing at the Cellar in 2006
Born (1934-11-10 ) November 10, 1934 (age 90) Florence , South Carolina, U.S.Genres Jazz , soul jazz , swing Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, bandleader, producer Instrument Saxophone Labels Prestige , Westbound , Mercury , Savoy , Muse , HighNote , Telarc
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Person in New York, 1984 Person grew up in Florence, South Carolina , and first played piano, before switching to tenor saxophone .[1] South Carolina State College , where he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1999.
In the United States Air Force , he joined a service band stationed in West Germany , and played with Don Ellis , Eddie Harris , Cedar Walton , and Leo Wright . Person later continued his studies at Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut .
He first became known for a series of albums for Prestige in the 1960s. Contrary to popular belief, he was never married to the vocalist Etta Jones , but did spend many years as her musical partner, recording, performing and touring, and for much of his career this association was what he was best known for. They first met playing in organist Johnny Hammond 's band.[2]
There are more than 75 albums recorded by Person as a bandleader, on Prestige, Westbound , Mercury , Savoy , and Muse , and he has most recently been recording on HighNote . He has recorded with Charles Brown , Ron Carter , Bill Charlap , Charles Earland , Lena Horne , Etta Jones , Lou Rawls , Janis Siegel , Horace Silver , Dakota Staton , Cedar Walton , plus Billy Butler , Don Patterson , Grant Green , Sonny Phillips , Johnny "Hammond" Smith , Richard "Groove" Holmes [3]
Person has been a resident of Newark, New Jersey .[4]
Person performing with his combo at the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival in 2009. Person in Paris , France, in 1980
Person received the Eubie Blake Jazz Award in 1982, and in 2011 the Jazz Legend Award, presented in San Diego .[5]
As leader
Underground Soul! Prestige , 1966)Chocomotive Trust in Me Blue Odyssey Soul Dance! Goodness! Truth! Person to Person! Houston Express Broken Windows, Empty Hallways Sweet Buns & Barbeque Island Episode The Real Thing Eastbound , 1973) - 2LPHouston Person '75 Westbound /20th Century, 1975)Get Out'a My Way! Pure Pleasure Mercury , 1976)Harmony Stolen Sweets Muse , 1976 [1977])Wild Flower The Nearness of You The Gospel Soul of Houston Person (Savoy , 1978)The Big Horn Suspicions Very PERSONal Heavy Juice Road Warriors (Greene Street , 1984) - with Les McCann Creation (Greene Street, 1984) - with Roger Kellaway Always on My Mind The Talk of the Town We Owe It All to Love (Baseline [UK], 1989)Basics Something in Common Ron Carter The Party Now's the Time Just Friends Buddy Tate and Nat SimkinsWhy Not! The Lion and His Pride Christmas with Houston Person and Friends Etta Jones , Grady Tate , Benny Green [note: reissued as Santa Baby on Savoy in 2003]Horn to Horn Teddy Edwards Close Encounters Person-ified Ray Drummond , Kenny Washington Lost & Found - with Charles Brown (32 Jazz , 1997) [note: first issue of a previously unreleased Muse album Sweet Slumber , recorded in 1991]The Opening Round Savant , 1997)Christmas With Houston Person and Etta Jones (32 Jazz, 1997) - compilation of various Muse materialMy Romance HighNote , 1998)Soft Lights Together at Christmas The Way We Were: Live in Concert In a Sentimental Mood Dialogues Blue Velvet Sentimental Journey Social Call Paul Bollenback To Etta with Love You Taught My Heart to Sing Bill Charlap All Soul Just Between Friends Thinking of You The Art and Soul of Houston Person Mellow Moment to Moment So Nice Naturally Nice 'n' Easy The Melody Lingers On Steve Nelson Something Personal Chemistry Rain or Shine Remember Love [6] I'm Just a Lucky So and So (HighNote, 2019)[7] Live in Paris (HighNote, 2019 [2021])Reminiscing at Rudy's (HighNote, 2022)As sideman
With The 3B's
Soothin' 'N Groovin' with The 3B's With Gene Ammons
With Charles Brown
Blues and Other Love Songs (Muse, 1992)With Paul (PB) Brown
Paul Brown Quartet Meets The Three Tenors (Brownstone, 1998)With Billy Butler
With Ron Carter
Orfeu With Emmet Cohen
Masters Legacy Series Volume 5: Houston Person (La Reserve Records, 2023)With Joey DeFrancesco
All About My Girl (Muse, 1994)Plays Sinatra His Way (High Note, 1998 [rel. 2004])With Charles Earland
With Grant Green
With Tiny Grimes
With Peter Hand Big Band
The Wizard of Jazz: A Tribute to Harold Arlen (Savant , 2005 [rel. 2009])Out of Hand (Savant, 2013)Blue Topaz (Whaling City, 2024)With Richard "Groove" Holmes
Good Vibrations (Muse, 1977 [rel. 1980])Broadway (Muse, 1980)Blues All Day Long (Muse, 1988)Hot Tat (Muse, 1989 [rel. 1991])With Randy Johnston
With Etta Jones
Etta Jones '75 Ms. Jones to You My Mother's Eyes If You Could See Me Now Save Your Love for Me Fine and Mellow I'll Be Seeing You Sugar Christmas with Etta Jones Reverse the Charges At Last The Melody Lingers On My Buddy: Etta Jones Sings the Songs of Buddy Johnson All the Way Easy Living Etta Jones Sings Lady Day With Charles Kynard
With Johnny Lytle
With Don Patterson
With Sonny Phillips
With Jimmy Ponder
With Bernard Purdie
Shaft With Shirley Scott
With Rhoda Scott
Feelin' the Groove (Verve, 1993)With Janis Siegel
Friday Night Special (Telarc , 2003)With Horace Silver
With Johnny "Hammond" Smith
With Melvin Sparks
With Warren Vaché
Stewart, Zan (September 28, 2003). "The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats" . The Star-Ledger the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2017 . Houston Person -- Deep-toned, blues-rich tenor saxophonist Person, who lives in Newark, has performed and/or recorded with Johnny Hammond, Cedar Walton and Charles Earland, among many others. 
