Monday, June 8, 2026
Houston Person • Sentimental Journey
Houston Person: Sentimental Journey
Almost 70, Houston Person is still carrying on the great tenor saxophone
tradition that combines breathy soulfulness with blues-drenched,
stomping swing. The lush-toned tenorist’s latest release, Sentimental
Journey, verifies his continuing command of the idiom. Ben Webster-like
sultriness pervades ballads such as “Fools Rush In” and “I Love You, Yes
I Do,” where he sticks close to the melody, as well as “A Sunday Kind
of Love,” whose tune he slightly embellishes. But on the medium to up
tunes, such as “It Had to Be You,” “Canadian Sunset,” “What’ll I Do,”
Illinois Jacquet’s “Black Velvet” and the title song, Person swings
forcefully, imbuing his lines with a gritty earthiness.
Person’s colleagues on the date constitute an all-star lineup. Pianist
Richard Wyands, guitarist Russell Malone, bassist Peter Washington and
drummer Grady Tate are all experienced, top-flight performers, as they
prove throughout in their sensitive accompaniment for the tenorist as
well as in their own plentiful solo spots.
It’s an increasingly rare pleasure to hear a sensitive player like
Houston Person pay respect to great melodies, rendering them essentially
as written. But it’s also good that his new record offers plenty of
opportunities for straightahead blowing by some fine improvisers.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/houston-person-sentimental-journey/
Review by Scott Yanow
As the 21st century began, Houston Person was one of the last in a
tradition of tough-toned but warm tenors able to straddle the boundaries
between soul-jazz, hard bop, and soulful R&B. An expert at
caressing and uplifting melodies, Person plays in the tradition of Gene
Ammons. Person is in excellent form throughout this quartet/quintet date
with pianist Richard Wyands, bassist Peter Washington, drummer Grady
Tate, and, on four of the nine selections, guitarist Russell Malone. In
fact, the combination of Person and Malone works so well that hopefully
someday they will record a full album together. All of the tunes are
veteran standards, with Person particularly digging into "A Sunday Kind
of Love," "It Had to Be You," "Black Velvet," and "Canadian Sunset."
Houston Person has recorded many fine albums for High Note and its
predecessor, Muse, through the years. Sentimental Journey is a strong
example of his talents.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/sentimental-journey-mw0000233195
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Persona de Houston: Viaje sentimental
Casi 70 años, Houston Person todavía continúa con la gran tradición de
saxofón tenor que combina una gran emoción con el swing empapado de
blues. El último lanzamiento del tenorista de tono exuberante,
Sentimental Journey, verifica su continuo dominio del idioma. La
sensualidad de Ben Webster impregna baladas como "Fools Rush In" y "I
Love You, Yes I Do", donde se adhiere a la melodía, así como a "A Sunday
Kind of Love", cuya canción embellece ligeramente. Pero en el medio
para las melodías principales, como "Tenía que ser tú", "Canadian
Sunset", "What'll I Do", "Black Velvet" de Illinois Jacquet y la canción
del título, Person swings forzar, imbuyendo sus líneas con Una tierra
terrosa.
Los colegas de la persona en la fecha constituyen una alineación
estelar. El pianista Richard Wyands, el guitarrista Russell Malone, el
bajista Peter Washington y el baterista Grady Tate son todos
experimentados y de alto rendimiento, como demuestran su delicado
acompañamiento para el tenorista, así como en sus abundantes lugares
como solistas.
Es un placer cada vez más raro escuchar a un jugador sensible como
Houston Person que respeta las grandes melodías, haciéndolos
esencialmente como están escritos. Pero también es bueno que su nuevo
récord ofrezca muchas oportunidades para que los improvisadores finos
puedan volar.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/houston-person-sentimental-journey/
Revisión por Scott Yanow
Cuando comenzó el siglo XXI, Houston Person fue uno de los últimos en
una tradición de tenores duros pero cálidos, capaces de cruzar los
límites entre el soul-jazz, el hard bop y el soul R&B. Una persona
experta en acariciar y elevar melodías, Person juega en la tradición de
Gene Ammons. La persona se encuentra en excelente forma a lo largo de
este cuarteto / quinteto con el pianista Richard Wyands, el bajista
Peter Washington, el baterista Grady Tate y, en cuatro de las nueve
selecciones, el guitarrista Russell Malone. De hecho, la combinación de
Person y Malone funciona tan bien que, con suerte, algún día grabarán un
álbum completo juntos. Todas las melodías son estándares veteranos, con
Person en particular buscando "A Sunday Kind of Love", "It Be To You
You", "Black Velvet" y "Canadian Sunset". Houston Person ha grabado
muchos buenos álbumes para High Note y su predecesor, Muse, a través de
los años. El viaje sentimental es un fuerte ejemplo de su talento.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/sentimental-journey-mw0000233195
Cory Weeds • O Sole Mio!
Even
in these trying and uncertain times, there are some professional
creative artists who recognize the need to "carry on" and make the best
of a bad situation. Saxophonist Cory Weeds is one of those individuals.
He is releasing O Sole Mio! Music From The Motherland on his own label,
CellarMusic. Weeds has merged his talents as an alto saxophonist with
Mike LeDonne's Groover Quartet featuring LeDonne on Hammond B3 organ,
Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, Peter Bernstein on guitar and Joe
Farnsworth on drums. Each of these participants is a highly regarded
jazz virtuoso in his own right, and has bee, or is, a leader of his own
group. Support for this Italian-themed session (great Italian music
and/or Italian-American composers such as Henry Mancini, Chick Corea and
Pat Martino came from Guilio Recchioni of the Italian Cultural Center
in Vancouver B.C.
The first two tracks in this release are both
burners. The title track was comes from Naples, where it was written in
1898, and was covered by operatic tenors such as Enrico Caruso and
Luciano Pavarotti. The band shows how serious they are about swinging
with all the members having solos that are both juicy and individual.
Mancini's well known theme "Mr.Lucky" gives this smart aggregation a
chance to demonstrate their unscripted interplay, which is based on
their considerable talent and vast experience. Another well-known number
is "Speak Softly Love," easily recognized as the background music from
the movie The Godfather. Built around Farnsworth's Latin beat, Weeds'
alto opens the offering by stating the theme, after which Alexander's
fluid tenor saxophone weaves and darts around the melody in exquisite
fashion. Guitarist Bernstein then comes in with some crisp riffs, after
which LeDonne's B3 shows off a burly yet fervent tone. This is a
terrific take on the number.
Chick Corea, whose heritage is from
Southern Italy, wrote "Chick's Tune," which is based on the chord
changes from the popular song "You Stepped Out Of A Dream." The band
keeps the pace at a high energy level with Weeds' alto leading the way.
There is some stellar guitar work from Bernstein and Eric Alexander then
takes his tenor sax on a euphoric run. LeDonne's B3 charges out of the
gate with soulful depth followed by an extensive drum kit workout from
Farnsworth. The band then takes the number out with a repeat of the
theme. The final track is "Capricci Di Camere" which originated as
bassist Paul Chambers' composition "Whims Of Chambers," which was also
the title of his 1957 album from Blue Note. Originally structured by
Chambers as a walking bass line for a blues in F, the group restates
this same line to open the tune and uses it as a frame from which to
explore the number. Each of the players takes a piece of the action with
LeDonne at his ebullient best. At this point all one can say is
"arrivederci."
Pierre Giroux By PIERRE GIROUX
February 8, 2021
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/o-sole-mio-music-from-the-motherland-cory-weeds-cellarmusic
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Incluso
en estos tiempos difíciles e inciertos, hay algunos artistas creativos
profesionales que reconocen la necesidad de "seguir adelante" y sacar lo
mejor de una mala situación. El saxofonista Cory Weeds es uno de ellos.
¡Ha publicado O Sole Mio! Music From The Motherland en su propio sello,
CellarMusic. Weeds ha unido su talento como saxofonista alto con el
Groover Quartet de Mike LeDonne, que cuenta con LeDonne al órgano
Hammond B3, Eric Alexander al saxo tenor, Peter Bernstein a la guitarra y
Joe Farnsworth a la batería. Cada uno de estos participantes es un
virtuoso del jazz muy apreciado por derecho propio, y ha sido, o es,
líder de su propio grupo. El apoyo a esta sesión de temática italiana
(gran música italiana y/o compositores italoamericanos como Henry
Mancini, Chick Corea y Pat Martino) vino de Guilio Recchioni, del Centro
Cultural Italiano de Vancouver B.C.
Los dos primeros temas de
esta publicación son excelentes. El tema que da título al disco procede
de Nápoles, donde fue escrito en 1898, y fue versionado por tenores de
ópera como Enrico Caruso y Luciano Pavarotti. La banda demuestra la
seriedad con la que se toman el swing, con todos los miembros con solos
tan jugosos como individuales. El conocido tema de Mancini "Mr.Lucky" da
a esta inteligente agrupación la oportunidad de demostrar su
interacción sin guión, que se basa en su considerable talento y amplia
experiencia. Otro número muy conocido es "Speak Softly Love", fácilmente
reconocible como la música de fondo de la película El Padrino.
Construida en torno al ritmo latino de Farnsworth, el contralto de Weeds
abre el tema, tras lo cual el fluido saxofón tenor de Alexander teje y
se lanza en torno a la melodía de forma exquisita. El guitarrista
Bernstein entra entonces con algunos riffs nítidos, tras lo cual el B3
de LeDonne muestra un tono fornido pero ferviente. Se trata de una
versión excelente de este número.
Chick Corea, cuya herencia es
del sur de Italia, escribió "Chick's Tune", que se basa en los cambios
de acordes de la popular canción "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". La banda
mantiene el ritmo con un alto nivel de energía con el alto de Weeds
liderando el camino. Hay un trabajo estelar de guitarra de Bernstein y
Eric Alexander luego lleva su saxo tenor en una carrera eufórica. El B3
de LeDonne sale con una profundidad conmovedora, seguido por un extenso
trabajo de batería de Farnsworth. A continuación, la banda cierra el
número con una repetición del tema. El tema final es "Capricci Di
Camere" que se originó como la composición del bajista Paul Chambers
"Whims Of Chambers", que también fue el título de su álbum de 1957 de
Blue Note. Originalmente estructurada por Chambers como una línea de
bajo andante para un blues en Fa, el grupo replantea esta misma línea
para abrir la melodía y la utiliza como marco desde el que explorar el
número. Cada uno de los intérpretes toma parte en la acción, con LeDonne
en su mejor momento. En este punto sólo se puede decir "arrivederci".
Pierre Giroux Por PIERRE GIROUX
8 de febrero de 2021
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/o-sole-mio-music-from-the-motherland-cory-weeds-cellarmusic
Jazz in Search of Itself
n this engaging and astute anthology of jazz criticism, Larry Kart
casts a wide net. Discussing nearly seventy major jazz figures and many
of the music’s key stylistic developments, Kart sees jazz as a unique
perpetual narrative―one in which musicians, their audiences, and the
evolving music itself are intimately intertwined.
Because jazz arose
from the collision of specific peoples under particular conditions, says
Kart, its development has been unusually immediate, visible, and
intense. Kart has reacted to and judged the music in a similarly active,
attentive, and personal manner. His involvement and attention to detail
are visible in these pieces: essays that analyze the supposed return to
tradition that the music of Wynton Marsalis has come to exemplify;
searching accounts of the careers of Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Bill
Evans, and Lennie Tristano; and writing that explores jazz’s
relationship to American popular song and examines the jazz musician’s
role as actual and would-be social rebel.
Bad Music The Music We Love to Hate
Why are some popular musical forms and performers universally reviled by critics and ignored by scholars-despite enjoying large-scale popularity? How has the notion of what makes "good" or "bad" music changed over the years-and what does this tell us about the writers who have assigned these tags to different musical genres? Many composers that are today part of the classical "canon" were greeted initially by bad reviews. Similarly, jazz, country, and pop musics were all once rejected as "bad" by the academy that now has courses on these and many other types of music. This book addresses why this is so through a series of essays on different musical forms and performers. It looks at alternate ways of judging musical performance beyond the critical/academic nexus, and suggests new paths to follow in understanding what makes some music "popular" even if it is judged to be "bad". For anyone who has ever secretly enjoyed ABBA, Kenny G, or disco, Bad Music will be a guilty pleasure!
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