Houston Person, Etta Jones – Together at Christmas (2000)

Tenor saxophonist Houston Person has released more than 75 solo albums, and statistically there should have been at least one Christmas album among them. However, this is not his only album: he shares the lead with singer Etta Jones, who has collaborated with him for more than thirty years. “Together at Christmas” is a solid soul-jazz record, filled with calm optimism. And even if Etta’s vocals have lost much of their former flexibility, her enormous charm has not gone anywhere, and her strong voice combines well with the dense, confident timbre of the saxophone. And yet the best here are the instrumentals, where Person swings relaxedly to the accompaniment of a strong rhythm section.