Soft Lights
The image of the tenor saxophonist playing a caressing ballad may be a cliché, but when it works, it's one of the most devastating experiences on earth. Houston Person begins "Here's That Rainy Day" with a warm, unprotected, confessional tone - rich as cooking chocolate - and you know at once something serious is happening to your emotions. Person speaks through his horn, his phrasing so persuasive and right that you hardly think of his sax as an instrument at all.Drummer Grady Tate keeps it mid-tempo, but Person drags behind, providing a sense of lazy relaxation. Ray Drummond's bass is discreet but strongly felt, while Richard Wyands proves once again that he's one of the great piano accompanyists. A relative youngster among these veterans, guitarist Russell Malone fits in beautifully, bluesily testifying  on "At Last" and seemingly happy to be part of the sultry flow."Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" and "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream" add some cunning Duke-isms, the harmonic intelligence audibly appreciated by the musicians. The recording quality - courtesy of Rudy Van Gelder - is superb. Recorded in one day (April 27, 1999), the entire album is a gas. To be smooth and soulful and satisfying, jazz doesn't need drum loops and marketing consultants. It just needs musicians like these.--- Ben Watson, JAZZIZ MagazineCopyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.--From Jazziz