Eric Person | Blue Vision
(Distinction Records)
Saxophonists Eric Person and the legendary Houston Person are, perhaps surprisingly, not related. But one listen to the new Eric Person disc Blue Vision proves that the alto/soprano man and his guest tenor forbear can indeed relate. While not as driven as the version on Miles Davis’s classic 1956 recording with John Coltrane, Houston’s spin on “Dear Old Stockholm,” a traditional number arranged for Davis by Stan Getz, is loose, scintillating, and delightful, especially with the bumptious organ interplay of Blood, Sweat and Tears keysman Adam Klipple. The octogenarian Person has led 130 studio dates in addition to playing with Etta Jones, Lena Horne, Horace Silver, and Joey DeFrancesco. Eric, too, has a bio to beat the band, including 10 titles of his own and work with leading lights like McCoy Tyner, Dave Holland, John Hicks, and Vernon Reid.
The elder Houston gave the date’s younger, Newburgh-based leader some sage advice: “Don’t forget the blues.” And on “No Doubt True That” and the self-penned title track, which opens the disc with a Monk-like angularity, Eric stays in touch with the form; even more so on a tender, thoughtful reading of the Billie Holiday standard “Lover Man,” which features delicate guitar work from Pete McCann. McCann also shines on Eric’s “Old Man Feathers,” which starts like an organ trio in a smoky bar before launching into mellow horn glory. Eric and Houston Person’s band Person2Person will appear at the Falcon in Marlboro on April 16.
This article appears in April 2023.
