Jack McDuff - Another Real Good'Un (1990)

Another Real Good 'Un is a latter-day Brother Jack McDuff session which finds the organist joined by tenor legend Houston Person, as well as (at various times) alto/tenor saxophonist Ron Bridgewater, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, drummers Buddy Williams and Cecil Brooks III, and guitarists Randy Johnston and John Hart. It's one of McDuff's better comeback albums, as he keeps the groove pumping throughout the record, swinging soulfully and interacting nicely with the other soloists. 32 Jazz reissued the session in 1999, Savoy Jazz in 2003. ~ by Steve Huey, AMG. 

Muse Records, MCD 5374, 1990
Recorded 1st March, 1989 & 18th July, 1990
at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 

Musicians:
Jack McDuff - Organ
Cecil Bridgewater - Trumpet (#3,4,6)
Ron Bridgewater - Alto Sax, Tenor Sax(#3,4,6)
Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone
Randy Johnston - Guitar (#1,5,7)
John Hart - Guitar (#3,4,6)
Cecil Brooks III - Drums (#1,5,7)
Buddy Williams - Drums (#3,4,6) 

Tracks:
1. Another Real Good'Un {Jack McDuff} (7:33)
2. Summertime {George & Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward} (8:50)
3. Off The Beaten Path {Cecil Bridgewater} (4:42)
4. Long Day Blues {Jack McDuff} (5:34)
5. Rock Candy {Jack McDuff} (6:59)
6. I Cant Get Started {Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin} (7:17)
7. I Cover The Waterfront {Johnny Green, Edward Heyman} (5:10) 

Total Time: 46:05 

Credits:
Producer - Houston Person
Engineer - Rudy van Gelder
Cover Photo - Fred Salaff
Graphic Design - Ron Warwell

Christmas with Houston Person & Etta Jones (1997) [re-rip]

Tired of those bland Christmas jazz records that fail to capture the emotion and fervor of the season? Looking for an album that puts heart and soul into this momentous holiday? Then look no further than this album by Etta Jones and Houston Person (neither of whom are on all cuts) and other musicians who also not only want to play these songs for their holiday value, but for their musical value as well. With Jones' blues- and R&B-inflected vocal delivery, coupled with the sensuous and passionate sax of Person, this CD turns out to be one of the more attractive jazz Christmas albums extant. Instead of a sugar-coated version of the king of all Christmas pop tunes, "White Christmas," Jones and the trio of Horace Ott, Wilbur Bascomb, and Cecil Brooks III take this tune down a gently swinging lane. Peter Martin Weiss' bass and Stan Hope's piano are featured on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and demonstrate that even a religious Christmas carol offers improvisational opportunities without detracting from the carol's solemn message. With Randy Johnson's rangy guitar kicking it off, Jones knocks the stuffings out of "Merry Christmas Baby" with her blues-soaked delivery, as the front line of Bill Easley and Johnny Coles make this a true jazz offering whose theme just happens to be a Yuletide one. But the album's pièce de résistance is Jones' rendition, complete with catch in the voice, of one of the saddest, most forlorn of all Christmas tunes, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from World War II. This is one of those albums where it's best to listen with heavily spiked egg nog or another favorite alcoholic bracer. ~ Dave Nathan, AMG.

32 Jazz, 32034, 1997
Jazz Heritage, 515591L, 1999

Recorded June, 1990 - August, 1994 at Englewood Cliffs, NJ and New York, NY

Personnel:

Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone

Etta Jones - Vocals

Bill Easley - Flute, Tenor Saxophone

Johnny Coles - Flugelhorn

George Devens - Vibraphone

Horace Ott - Keyboards

Stan Hope - Piano

Benny Green - Piano

Mike Renzi - Piano

Randy Johnston - Guitar

Jay Leonhart - Bass

Cecil Brooks, III - Drums

Grady Tate - Drums

Chip White - Drums

Sammy Figueroa - Percussion

Della Griffin - Vocals

Tracks:

1. Medley: I'll Be Home For Christmas/You're All I Want for Christmas (2:42)

2. Blue Christmas (6:48)

3. I'll Be Home For Christmas (3:09)

4. Merry Christmas, Baby (9:15)

5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (4:23)

6. Merry Christmas, Baby (5:29)

7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (8:06)

8. Christmas Song (5:14)

9. [I'm Dreaming Of A] White Christmas (3:36)

Credits:

Producer - Houston Person, Joel Dorn

Arranger - Houston Person

Engineer - Rudy van Gelder, Tony Viamontes

Assistant Engineer - Roger Scheepers

Mastering - Gene Paul

Art Direction - Nancy Dwyer, Page Simon

Liner Notes - Joel Dorn