Houston Person – Moment to Moment – High Note Records

by | Dec 22, 2010 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Houston Person – Moment to Moment – High Note Records HCD 7217, 56:11 *****:

(Houston Person – tenor sax, Terell Stafford – trumpet, John Di Martino – piano, Randy Johnston – guitar, Ray Drummond – bass, Willie Jones – drums)

Houston Person’s Moment to Moment is one of the most exciting jazz albums I’ve listened to in a long time.  The hard bop flow of the opening track Bleeker Street to the end of the album’s Nina Never Knew are 56 minutes of melodic masterpiece.  Person him self says that, “To me, melody is always important because the audiences respond to that.”

Person covers many popular songs on the Moment to Moment.   The title track alone is a Mancini tune with Person’s own interpretation.  Just the Way You Are is a surprisingly good read of the Billy Joel classic.  It’s starts out slow like the original and is gradually sped up to a fast dancing gem.  Back In New Orleans, All My Life and Love Won’t Let Me Wait are masterfully rendered with the Houston Person touch as well. 

Person has played a key roll in the jazz scene for over 40 years now and Moment to Moment is yet another reminder at what a treasure we have.  Backing him with style are John Di Martino, Randy Johnston, Ray Drummond, Willie Jones III and playing with him for the first time is Terell Stafford.  Moment to Moment – love it in an instant.

TrackList:
1. Bleeker Street
2. I Cover the Waterfront
3. Moment to Moment
4. Freight Dance
5. Don’t Take Your Love From Me
6. E Nada Mais
7. Just the Way You Are
8. Back in New Orleans
9. All My Life
10. Love Won’t Let Me Wait
11. Nina Never Knew

— Paul Pelon IV

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