Details

Field of Interest

Jazz

Content Type

Music recording

Duration

1 hour 18 mins

Format

Audio

Sub Genre

Soul Jazz

Label

Prestige

Page Count

13

Performer

Houston Person, 1934-, Cedar Anthony Walton, 1934-2013, Alan Dawson, 1929-1996, Bob Cranshaw, 1932-2016, Paul Chambers, 1935-1969, Frankie Jones, Lenny McBrowne, 1933-, Ralph Dorsey

Date Recorded

1967-10-13

Release Date

2001

Review

Houston Person is generally considered a soul-jazz specialist whose tenor playing can be counted on to elevate a standard organ combo or groove-based session into something memorable. This set, however, demonstrates Person's reach well beyond funk and blues grooves. The CD, combining the 1967 dates Chocomotive and Trust in Me, reveals a multi-faceted player who has grasped the lessons of tenor greats from Coleman Hawkins to Gene Ammons to Sonny Rollins. This explains why when Person sits down with a Johnny Hammond, Eddie Harris, or Charles Earland he has a whole lot more in his bag than blues licks and an assertive tone. Pianist Cedar Walton is a major presence on both sets, providing a powerful, personal approach that falls somewhere between Horace Silver's sublime earthiness and Thelonious Monk's knotty logic. Veteran hard boppers Bob Cranshaw and Paul Chambers share the bass spot. The drummers are lesser-knowns Lenny McBrowne and Frankie Jones. Drummer's drummer Alan Dawson is on the Chocomotive tracks in a rare but effective turn at the vibes. Space limitations mean that "Girl Talk" and "Up, Up and Away" from the original Chocomotive are not on the compilation. On the other hand, the bonus track, a brief outing on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," serves as a prime example of Person's abilities in a probing, straight-ahead setting. A couple of tracks veer towards a blowsy lounge style, but even on "More" (a song that has not stood the test of time) Person -- with effective work from Walton, Dawson, and Cranshaw -- steers the performance to a swinging place that transcends the tune's inherent cheesiness. ~ Jim Todd, All Music Guide

Subject

Jazz, Music & Performing Arts, Soul Jazz, Soul Jazz

Keywords and Translated Subjects

Soul Jazz