HOUSTON PERSON AND RON CARTER-REMEMBER LOVE.
Houston Person and Ron Carter-Remember Love,
Label: HighNote Records.
Seventy-three your old saxophonist Houston Person recording career began in 1966,when he recorded Underground Soul for Prestige. This was the first of over seventy-five albums that Houston Person released as bandleader for Prestige, Westbound, Mercury, CTi Records and Muse Records over the past six decades. During that period, Houston Person collaborated with a number of musicians, including double bassist Ron Carter.
Houston Person and Ron Carter recorded five studio albums between 1990 and 2016.Just under two years later and the two friends made their way to Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on the ‘27th’ of March 2018. That day the two jazz veterans worked their way through the ten tracks on Remember Love, which has just been released on HighNote Records. It’s the latest chapter in the Houston Person and Ron Carter partnership.
Their story began in 1990, when bandleader, bassist and cellist Ron Carter was fifty-three and one of the most recorded bassists in history. He had already worked with the great and good of jazz, released solo albums and collaborated with many different musicians. Ron Carter’s next collaboration was with saxophonist Houston Person.
The pair was familiar faces on the jazz scene, and had played more recording sessions than most. For many musicians, Ron Carter was the go-to-guy for anyone looking for a bassist, while saxophonist Houston Person divided his time between his solo career and session work. However in 1990 Houston Person embarked upon a new project with his friend Ron Carter,
The two friends had decided to collaborate on album, and combined some of their favourite jazz tracks with songs from the Great American Songbook. These seven tracks became Houston Person and Ron Carter’s debut album Something In Common which was released to plaudits and praise in 1990.
Three years later and Houston Person and Ron Carter returned in 1993 with Now’s The Time. This was he their sophomore album and the second instalment in the followup to Something In Common. It was an album where familiar and new songs rubbed shoulders on Now’s The Time which found favour with jazz critics,
Despite that, nine years passed before Houston Person and Ron Carter returned in 2002 with Dialogues. The pair combined new original songs with a couple of songs from the Great American Songbook. This resulted in Dialogues being hailed as Houston Person and Ron Carter’s strongest since their debut album Something In Common.
With Houston Person and Ron Carter busy working on different projects, it was another six years before this occasional duet returned with their fourth album Just Between Friends in n 2008. Again new original compositions and familiar songs became part of another highly regarded album.
Although Houston Person and Ron Carter’s four albums had proved popular, the versatile and occasional duo weren’t reunited until 2016,when they released Chemistry. It featured classic songs, jazz standards and new compositions on what was Houston Person and Ron Carter’s strongest sets.
Remember Love.
Less than two years later, and Houston Person and Ron Carter were preparing to record their sixth album Remember Love. To record the album, they made their way to Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on the ‘27th’ of March 2018. That day the two jazz veterans planned to record the ten tracks on Remember Love.
This included the helpful reason of George Gershwin’s, which gives way to a beautiful rendition of Guy Wood’s My One and Only Love and the Houston Person compassion Why Not, It made its debut on his 1991 debut album but makes a welcome return on Remember Love. Houston Person’s saxophone takes centre-stage, while Ron Carter’s bass adds the finishing touches. Sometimes it’s as if finishes Houston Person’s sentences before moving on to a languid cover of Duke Ellington’s Day Dream and Luis Bonda’s Bossa Nova classic Gentle Rain,
One of the highlights of Remember Love Jerome Kern’s The Way You Look Tonight from the Great American Songbook, which gives way to folk-tinged version of You Are My Sunshine. It’s followed by the poignant tribute to songwriter Duke Pearson Blues For DP. After that it’s another visit to the Great American Songbook for Richard Rodgers’ classic Easy To Remember, before Without A Song closes Remember Love on a memorable and melodic high.
Houston Person and Ron Carter’s sixth album Remember Love, which has just been released by HighNote Records is, without doubt their finest hour. It features yen carefully selected songs Among them are jazz and Bossa Nova classics and songs from the Great American Songbook, where Houston Person takes an interesting approach to certain songs,
On Day Dream, It’s Easy To Remember and Our Love Is Here To Stay the original verse is played. This is unusual amongst jazz instrumentalists nowadays, but this is Houston Person’s approach to these three songs.
They’re part of Houston Person and Ron Carter’s finest hour Remember Love, which features beautiful, intimate and subtle music from two jazz veterans that is also melodic and memorable.
Houston Person and Ron Carter-Remember Love,
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