Back in the '90s, the late Joel Dorn rescued seven tracks by jazz saxophonist Houston Person with blues great Charles Brown from the Muse Records vaults. Almost unbelievably, the songs from that album, which was to be called "Sweet Slumber," had never been made available.Dorn paired those seven tracks with five more from a 1977 album by Person called "Wildflower," which had been out of print for years, for "Lost and Found" on his 32 Jazz label. Now, sadly, that album's no longer available either. That's a shame.
You won't find many better couplings of jazz and blues than on the collaborations between Person and Brown, who sings on four of the tracks and plays piano on all seven. "No Denial Blues," for example, opens with some slinky piano riffs by Brown. A few seconds into the song, you hear the wail of Person's saxophone; I don't know of many sadder sounds other than, maybe, Brown's vocals.
Neither Brown nor Person ever rush. That must have been a powerful lesson for Danny Caron, the young guitarist on the recording, who plays especially slow, steamy licks on "Never Let Me Go." Bassist Red Callender and drummer Gaylor Birch have deft touches, too.
The songs on the "Wildflower" portion of "Lost and Found" are less bluesy than the ones on "Sweet Slumber," but they're no less soulful.
At the beginning of "Dameron," trumpeter Bill Hardman seduces listeners with a melancholy solo supported by Sonny Phillips' lush organ licks. Person answers with tenderness.
Guitarist Jimmy Ponder, who's always fabulous, shares the spotlight with Person and Phillips on "Ain't Misbehavin'." With the help of drummer Idris Muhammad and percussionist Larry Killian, they speed the tempo a bit, making the tune sound both playful and romantic.
The album's centerpiece, though, is "My Romance." It's like a saxophone version of Miles Davis' prettiest ballads. And what could be better than that?
Find a copy of "Lost and Found" if you can. You'll be charmed.
