The Opening Round
| The Opening Round | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | February 5, 1997 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 55:20 | |||
| Label |
Savant SCD 2005 |
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| Producer | Houston Person | |||
| Houston Person chronology | ||||
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The Opening Round, subtitled The Groove Masters Series Vol. 1 is an album by saxophonist Houston Person which was recorded in 1997 and released on the Savant label.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |
 
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| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |
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In his review on Allmusic, Stewart Mason states "A fun and personable mix of jazz and soul classics plus a couple of originals by guitarist Rodney Jones, Houston Person's The Opening Round: Groove Masters Series, Vol. 1 isn't a jazz album for the ages, but it's start-to-finish entertaining. It's a straight-up groove album, with Person in front of a four-piece organ combo". In JazzTimes, Stanley Dance wrote: "Person’s thick, unmannered tone, love of melody and swing, together give his music an odd sobriety that he seems compelled to relieve with fast flurries of notes".
Track listing
- "Sweet Sucker" (Johnny Griffin) – 1:27
- "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green, Al Jackson Jr., Willie Mitchell) – 3:56
- "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 4:06
- "What's Going On?" (Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson, Al Cleveland) – 2:32
- "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Calvin Lewis, Andrew Wright) – 3:41
- "Blue Spring" (Rodney Jones) – 4:35
- "Song for a Rainbow" (Jones) – 3:57
- "Shenandoah" (Traditional) – 4:55
Personnel
- Houston Person – tenor saxophone
- Joey DeFrancesco – Hammond B3 organ
- Rodney Jones – guitar
- Tracy Wormworth – electric bass
- Bernard Purdie – drums