Lafayette Harris, Jr. - Hangin' with the Big Boys

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:50
Size: 131,8 MB
Art: Front

(3:18) 1. Blue Skies
(6:15) 2. In a Sentimental Mood
(3:32) 3. Hangin' with the Big Boys
(7:25) 4. We in the House
(0:54) 5. Don't Worry About It
(6:54) 6. The Zombie Blues
(6:30) 7. Little Kevin's Embrace
(5:42) 8. Drinking Wine Blues
(3:23) 9. The Wheelhouse
(7:40) 10. The Very Thought of You
(5:12) 11. They All Laughed

Harris is the Brooklyn-based pianist who came here with Max Roach nearly two decades ago, and is known for work with Roswell Rudd, Cindy Blackman, top-flight singers and Houston Person. It’s the saxophonist who is the highlight of several tracks here, including dead- slow versions of ‘In A Sentimental Mood’, ‘The Very Thought Of You’, and two of several creative blues tunes. I’m assuming the reputation of the other musicians hasn’t spread much beyond Brooklyn, but their straightahead savvy is demonstrable, and the unhurried work of Drye and Curtis is impressive. Singers Horn and Wippler have one feature each, though it was probably a mistake to open the programme with their less-than-top-flight jamming on the brief ‘Blue Skies’. But the original material elsewhere is worthy of attention, and this set recorded with an invited audience shows the depth of talent that’s around these days. https://www.jazzwise.com/review/lafayette-harris-jr-hangin-with-the-big-boys

Personnel:

Antoine Drye: Mastering, Mixing, Trumpet

Caleb Wheeler Curtis: Composer, Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)

George Delancey: Bass

Houston Person: Sax (Tenor)

Jazzmeia Horn: Vocals

Lafayette Harris, Jr.: Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Producer

Noel Wippler: Vocals

Will Terrill: Drums

Hangin' with the Big Boys

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Kathy Lyon Feat Houston Person - Nothin' but Love

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2020
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:46
Size: 130,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:40) 1. Candy
(6:33) 2. You Better Go Now
(4:25) 3. Then I'll Be Tired of You
(5:28) 4. Easy Livin'
(4:54) 5. I Remember You
(4:58) 6. Come Rain or Come Shine
(3:46) 7. This Time the Dream's on Me
(3:52) 8. I Wonder Wher Our Love Has Gone
(5:08) 9. Once in a While
(4:15) 10. Good Morning Heartache
(2:30) 11. I Can't Give You Anything but Love
(7:11) 12. Everything Happens to Me

Houston Texas (August 9 2021) – Noted jazz vocalist Kathy Lyon (Pensacola Florida) records her latest album “Nothin’ But Love” featuring tenor sax great Houston Person. The twelve song compilation was recorded at Teaneck Sound Studio, produced by Houston Person and includes Lafayette Harris Jr on piano, Peter Hand on guitar, Matthew Parrish on bass, with Vince Ector on drums.

Engineering, Mixing, Mastering performed by Dave Kowalski. With such a great line up behind her Kathy’s voice becomes the icing on the cake as this performer delivers from the soul and yet retains the vocal discipline required to draw inside the lines. The results of this collaboration are exceedingly enjoyable.

Mr. Person’s signature arrangements allow the standards to remain the familiar standards we know and love yet the instrumentation and vocals are able to breathe and produce a refreshing collection of music . This breath of fresh air is felt from the very beginning until the very end. The “Nothin’ But Love” album title came about as a result of the harmony within the studio between everyone involved. Kathy shares https://www.pumpitupmagazine.com

“It felt great, you couldn’t ask for a more refined and harmonious group of musicians. It was a very memorable collaboration, the room was filled with nothing but love.

Personnel: Houston Person - Sax; Lafayette Harris Jr on piano; Peter Hand on guitar; Matthew Parrish on bass, with Vince Ector on drums.

Nothin' but Love

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Lafayette Harris, Jr. - Swingin' Up in Harlem

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:12
Size: 115,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:52) 1. Swingin' Up in Harlem
(4:49) 2. Living for the City
(4:15) 3. Teach Me Tonight
(6:31) 4. The Nearness of You
(6:08) 5. Stardust
(3:40) 6. St. Thomas
(5:41) 7. Over the Rainbow
(4:49) 8. It's All in the Game
(5:36) 9. Solitude
(4:46) 10. Nat's Blues

In the grand tradition of jazz piano trio records, Lafayette Harris returns to the Van Gelder studios for 'Swingin' Up In Harlem', covering a wide spectrum of tunes by composers ranging from Hoagy Carmichael to Stevie Wonder.

Harris' sympathies have always been wide-ranging, as one would imagine from his stints with Max Roach, Donald Byrd, Ernestine Anderson and others. His style of playing keeps one foot rooted in the rich history of jazz piano and the other is knee-deep in contemporary and modern jazz resulting in an album of personal, memorable renditions with subtle colours and elegant nuances.

You need a first-rate rhythm section for a trio recording and bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash bring the insight that only their decades of experience can give. The album also boasts the participation of saxophonist Houston Person, this time in the producer's chair. If tasteful, effortless piano playing is to your liking, then you will certainly find great pleasure in the joy, humour and exuberance of Lafayette Harris Jr
https://www.propermusic.com/scd2203-swingin-up-in-harlem.html

Personnel: Lafayette Harris Jr: piano; Peter Washington: bass; Lewis Nash: drums

Swingin' Up in Harlem

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Ernestine Anderson - A Song for You

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:02
Size: 103,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:52) 1. This Can't Be Love
(5:51) 2. A Song for You
(4:34) 3. Make Someone Happy
(7:09) 4. Skylark
(3:26) 5. A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening
(6:10) 6. Candy
(6:41) 7. Day by Day
(7:15) 8. For All We Know

There's no doubt that American Idol, that immensely popular TV vocal competition now in its eighth season as of this writing, has redefined the public's idea of what constitutes "great" singing. In many quarters, the old criteria of good pitch and time, pleasing tone and honest feeling are no longer sufficient, for why hold onto one long note when you can cram three octaves into every bar? Far too often, the meaning of a song is reduced to its melisma, as a singer's athletic ability to embellish a tone seems to trump any lyric attached to it.

So far the jazz world has been relatively immune from this virus, but the growing ease of technology is enabling every aspiring singer to make a CD just pick some artwork, hire a publicist, and poof: you're in the game. This has resulted in a great uncensored flood of music, much of which is best appreciated by the parents, spouses, and friends of the singer.

But into this noisy climate comes a reminder of what true class and swing are all about: A Song for You, from veteran vocalist Ernestine Anderson. Here, backed by a fine and un-fussy quartet, she proves that her six-decade career could not diminish her rich, flexible voice, or her ability to mine the emotional truth in every song; if anything, both are deeper today. Anderson is joined in her explorations by the legendary tenor player Houston Person, whose bluesy obligatos are so empathic that they're practically verbal. During his thirty-year partnership with the late, also-wonderful Etta Jones, Person perfected the art of the voice/horn dialogue: consistently enhancing a singer's meaning without ever getting in her way. His comments are by turns supportive, witty or ironic, and his solos remain unmatched for their expressiveness and soul.

Anderson makes her musical intentions clear from the buoyant opener, "This Can't Be Love": she's going to use her singular phrasing and time to freshen every overplayed standard in the set, including the enthusiastic "Make Someone Happy," the R&B-inflected "Lovely Way to Spend an Evening," and the celebratory "Day by Day.". The CD's four ballads include a surprisingly slow and sexy "Candy," as well as the relatively-recent title tune, where Anderson makes the words so personal that it sounds like she just made them up. A word about "Skylark," that timeless beauty by Hoagy Carmichael: the equally great Johnny Mercer said it took him a whole year to get those lyrics right, and Anderson honors them with a kind of whispering wonder that suits them very well.All told, A Song for You should be required listening for every singer, since Anderson provides such a rare and invaluable lesson: how to touch the listeners' hearts without having to fill up their ears.By Dr. Judith Schlesinger https://www.allaboutjazz.com/a-song-for-you-ernestine-anderson-highnote-records-review-by-dr-judith-schlesinger

Personnel: Ernestine Anderson: vocals; Houston Person: tenor saxophone; Lafayette Harris, Jr.: piano; Chip Jackson: bass; Willie Jones III: drums.

A Song for You

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Lafayette Harris Jr. - You Can't Lose with the Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:07
Size: 132,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:26) 1. He's My Guy
(4:10) 2. I Love You, Yes I Do
(5:03) 3. Blues for Barry Harris
(4:20) 4. Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
(4:55) 5. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(3:28) 6. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
(5:33) 7. Love Me in a Special Way
(3:34) 8. Bloomdido
(6:42) 9. You Can't Lose with the Blues
(5:15) 10. Wonder Why
(5:31) 11. Please Send Me Someone to Love
(5:05) 12. The Juicy Blues

Can’t lose? Well, not if you command a soulful touch and a wealth of resources, something that Lafayette Harris Jr., bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash demonstrate time and again on this intimate, colorfully programmed trio session. Give Harris, the Baltimore-bred, Manhattan-based pianist, a fundamental blues progression and it won’t sound fundamental for long. Without compromising a familiar theme’s emotional or bop-ish slant, he never fails to offer fresh perspectives, whether introducing lyrical melodic variations, vibrant octave shifts, or orchestral-shaded codas. Of course, he consistently benefits from the exceptionally well-matched pairing of Washington and Nash, veteran session mates who shine in a wide variety of interpretations a haunting take on Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” and an invigorating reboot of Charlie Parker’s “Bloomdido,” for example. Subtle ornamentation, rhythmically charged sprints, and delightful exchanges and turnarounds are in copious supply.

Harris’ reconfiguring of DeBarge’s “Love Me in a Special Way” fits in surprisingly well here, but it’s no match for the vintage tunes associated with Bull Moose Jackson, Louis Jordan, and Duke Ellington. Or for that matter, the album’s title track, which Harris composed for Houston Person. Suffice to say, it’s performed here with ample authority. Then again, the same can be said for Harris’ “The Juicy Blues,” which serves as the album’s swinging, bass-resonating closer, or the pianist’s deeply expressive solo arrangement of Percy Mayfield’s signature lament, “Please Send Me Someone to Love.”~Mike Joyce https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/lafayette-harris-jr-you-cant-lose-with-the-blues-savant/

You Can't Lose with the Blues

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Houston Person - I'm Just a Lucky So and So

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:33
Size: 128,0 MB
Art: Front

(8:08)  1. Willow Weep for Me
(4:56)  2. Wonder Why
(5:48)  3. I Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry
(6:58)  4. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
(6:04)  5. Who Can I Turn To
(3:31)  6. Day by Day
(4:55)  7. Alone with Just My Dreams
(4:54)  8. Song for a Rainbow
(5:02)  9. I Want to Talk About You
(5:12) 10. Next Time You See Me

Houston Person is definitely a lucky so and so blessed with a fantastic tone on the tenor sax, which he's kept strong through decades of recording at a level that makes this record every bit of a gem as some of Houston's classics from years back! The album's done in a very classic style, too Houston's tenor out front, in a combo with Lafayette Harris on piano, Matthew Parris on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums augmented by the trumpet of Eddie Allen and guitar of Rodney Jones on nearly every one of the album's selections, both great players who round out the soulful spirit of the record in a great way. All the tunes are standards mostly ballads, but handled with that subtle swing that Houston can always bring to material like this tracks that include "Wonder Why", "Willow Weep For Me", "Song For A Rainbow", "Alone With Just My Dreams", "I Want To Talk About You", "I'm Just A Lucky So & So", and "Next Time You See Me".  © 1996-2019, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/924551/Houston-Person:I%27m-Just-A-Lucky-So-So

Personnel: Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Eddie Allen, trumpet;  Lafayette Harris, piano; Rodney Jones, guitar;  Matthew Parrish, bass;  Kenny Washington, drums

I'm Just a Lucky So and So

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Houston Person - Rain or Shine

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:43
Size: 130,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:25)  1. Come Rain or Come Shine
(7:07)  2. 132nd and Madison
(7:02)  3. Everything Must Change
(6:20)  4. Learnin' the Blues
(5:31)  5. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone
(7:16)  6. Soupbone
(5:12)  7. Never Let Me Go
(5:45)  8. Our Day Will Come
(6:01)  9. Danny Boy

Tenor saxophonist Houston Person, now in his eightieth decade, has made no concessions to Father Time, choosing instead to use his many years in the jazz trenches to forge a style all his own, bathed in blues and soul but never turning a deaf ear to the allure of a seductive and tasteful melody. Each of these components is clear as the midday sun on Rain or Shine, a well designed studio session on which Person shares the front line with the like-minded cornetist Warren Vache. There can be no doubting a leader's self-confidence when he not only opens his own gig with an even-tempered ballad ("Come Rain or Come Shine") but entrusts the tune's lone solo to his fellow horn man. That is exactly what Person does, unlimbering his keen improvisational chops on the next track, "132nd and Madison," and pretty much taking the reins from there on. That's not meant to imply that Vache doesn't have his moments he fashions engaging solos whenever called upon, as do guitarist Rodney Jones and pianist Lafayette Harris who with bassist Matthew Parrish and drummer Vincent Ector comprise the ensemble's deft and responsive rhythm section.

Besides the songs already mentioned, the bill of fare embodies a mixture of soul, funk, R&B and ballads, with the blues never more than a glance away, before closing with an eloquent reading of the Irish folk classic, "Danny Boy" (by Person and Harris). Jones wrote the funky "Soupbone," which precedes the ballad "Never Let Me Go" and "Our Day Will Come" (set to a bossa beat) and follows "Everything Must Change," "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone" and the Frank Sinatra favorite, "Learnin' the Blues" (which swings as hard and as freely as Ol' Blue Eyes' original to amplify snappy solos by Person, Vache, Jones, Harris and Parrish). Rain or Shine was recorded in June 2017, one month before the passing of producer Joe Fields who founded the Muse and Xanadu labels, among others, before co-founding HighNote and Savant Records with his son Barney in 1996. If this was the last recording that Fields produced, he did indeed end his lengthy career on a decisive HighNote. ~ Jack Bowers https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rain-or-shine-houston-person-highnote-records-review-by-jack-bowers.php

Personnel: Houston Person: tenor saxophone; Warren Vache: cornet (1, 2, 4, 6, 8); Lafayette Harris: piano; Rodney Jones: guitar (1-6, 8, 9); Matthew Parrish: bass; Vincent Ector: drums.

Rain or Shine

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