In the 1990s,
Houston Person kept the soulful thick-toned tenor tradition of
Gene Ammons alive, particularly in his work with organists. After learning piano as a youth,
Person switched to tenor. While stationed in Germany with the Army, he played in groups that also included
Eddie Harris,
Lanny Morgan,
Leo Wright, and
Cedar Walton.
Person picked up valuable experience as a member of
Johnny Hammond's group (1963-1966) and became a bandleader in the following years, often working with the late singer
Etta Jones. A duo recording with
Ran Blake was a nice change of pace, but most of
Houston Person's playing has been done in blues-oriented organ groups. He recorded a consistently excellent series of albums for Muse, eventually switching to HighNote Records for 2006's
You Taught My Heart to Sing, 2007's
Thinking of You, and 2008's
Just Between Friends, which featured bassist
Ron Carter. Released in 2012, Naturally, recorded at the famed Van Gelder Recording Studio, teamed
Person with
Cedar Walton on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums.
–
Scott Yanow, Rovi