Houston Person

In jazz history, Houston Person is one the great purveyors of the deep throated tenor saxophone sound --dynamically powerful and swinging, but also sultry, bluesy, sensitive and romantic. 

Houston Person was born on November 10, 1934 in Florence, South Carolina.  He was musically inclined as a child, and then studied at South Carolina State University.  After college, Person entered the service and was stationed in West Germany for several years in an Air Force unit that included Cedar Walton, Lex Humphries, and Eddie Harris, among other jazz musicians who became lifelong friends and influences.

Upon discharge from the service, Person returned stateside for further studies in graduate school at the prestigious Hartt Institute in Connecticut.  Person finally began making his way in the professional jazz world in the Boston/New England area.  By the early 1960's he had established his mark and began recording for Prestige Records.  Person’s style also fit into the soulful jazz of the period and graces many live bands and recordings in that groove.

By the 1970's, Houston met up with the awe-inspiring vocalist Etta Jones, and after some occasional collaborations they started a steady working partnership that lasted until Etta’s death from cancer in 2001.  Their musical and personal teamwork and connection was so intense that they were often mistaken as a married couple, and feted as a continued legacy of the Lester Young and Billie Holiday collaboration.

Person has a masterful and encyclopedic command of the American popular songbook.  He conveys the meanings of these songs, and also the blues, and jazz standards, in a straightforward manner that engages the audience with a direct emotional connection.  This style marked his work with Etta, and even more so his continued regular performances with his own combos, or as a guest artist in demand with countless groups.

originally broadcast October 27, 2024

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