Houston Express is the ninth album led by saxophonist Houston Person. Houston Person's the main soloist in front of bigger backings – heard here in a style that's a bit like some of the changes in funky jazz that were going on over at Kudu Records during the same time – a filling up of the background rhythms, but still with hip players overall – and plenty of room for the main soloist to do his thing! Horace Ott conducts the backings, and brings in a soulful undercurrent that almost gives a few of the sharper numbers a soundtrack feel. Titles include "The Houston Express", "Young Gifted & Black", "Give More Power To The People", "Chains of Love", and "Enjoy".

Acclaimed bassist & vocalist Nicki Parrott is joined by sax player Houston Person, pianist John di Martino along with a host of competent musicians for this album dedicated to songs of the Winter season including several Christmas tunes. You'll find such songs as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Blue Christmas", "June In January", "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", and of course, "Winter Wonderland".

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. Simone is joined by a cast of talented musicians for Let's Fall In Love. Simone puts her own unique spin on country music artist Alison Kraus's "Ghost In This House" as well as jazz standards like "Moon Glow". She had classical piano lessons starting at the age of eight and at 12 began playing saxophone. She performed in a youth big band and sang regularly in her father's band as a teenager. At 17 she studied with Sheila Jordan, who encouraged her. Kopmajer also studied with Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, and Michele Hendricks.

The soulfully expressive tenor saxophonist, Houston Person learned his craft in the 1950s, a time when some of the earliest pioneers of jazz saxophone - Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Ben Webster - were playing. Like Sonny Rollins and a handful of others, Person is an eloquent messenger who is rooted in traditional blues, church music, Broadway love songs and the mimicking of a singer's tonal palette and phrasing. His blues feel led to a renaissance among acid-jazz clubbers years later, and his sound has become uniquely characterful: an idiosyncratic edit of all he has learned, expressed in shrugging hoots, briefly cantering bop sprints, spacious and softly blown ballads. With his long-time friend and colleague, cornetist Warren Vaché and guitarist Rodney Jones, Person's burnished sophistication, assured elegance and poise are again on display giving listeners an object lesson in unfussy, no-gimmicks music-making.

A cool-toned Austrian jazz vocalist, Simone Kopmajer sings in flawless English. For "Taking A Chance On Love" Simone is backed by John Di Martino, George Mraz, Tim Horner, Houston Person and Dick Oatts, on this 10-track SACD full of jazz's favorite staples from George Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and many more!

The rarest of all Charles Kynard albums – and a real standout groover from the classic funk days of Prestige! "Afro-Disiac" is a soulful and sublimely understated set of purely grooving soul-jazz fare. Long out of print and never reissued in the US on vinyl, Afro-Disiac features a roster of exceptional talent backing Kynard, including guitarist Grant Green, drummer Bernard Purdie, Jimmy Lewis on electric bass and Houston Person on tenor saxophone. Among the highlights is the smouldering, deep-pocket Purdie showcase "Sweetheart".

Houston Person is the real deal. With a lifetime of experience Houston continues to grace concert stages with his expressive style which stubbornly defies categorization. One moment he is letting loose with some hard-driving swing and the next he is caressing your ears with his mellifluous, baritonal utterances on a beautiful ballad.