Concert Review: Eric Person @ The Falcon, 04/17/2023

Things happen; plans change. This is The Way. The plan for last Sunday night was to finally take in Person2Person, with area reed star Eric Person joining forces with uncle/jazz legend Houston Person for a night of nasty sax-powered jazz. Unfortunately, at showtime, there was no Houston: Under the weather. “But,” Eric assured us, “He will be back!”

It would have been understandable if anyone in the almost-full house decided, “Well, that’s that, then…” and headed for the exits. Nobody moved. While the alto/tenor sax matchup would have been pretty righteous, this crowd obviously knew how badass Eric is in concert, and anyone who’d heard him warming up earlier with his quartet – pianist Alva Nelson, bassist Kenny Davis, and drummer Colby Enzler – knew we were in for a fine time, with or without the elder Person. 

Besides, I just killed a monstrous wild mushroom ravioli out of the Falcon’s accomplished kitchen, and the waiter was bringing me a second Stella Artois. I was in my Happy Place, so I assumed everybody else in the crowd was in theirs.

Person came out swinging with “Old Hat Feathers,” a mid-tempo blues off Eric’s latest disc Blue Vision. Davis’ double bass was appropriately fat as Person blew up the melody, exploring all angles while never losing the feeling of the blues. Nelson’s piano solo was right on the mark, establishing himself as the muscular foil for the evening. He traded fours with Eric and Enzer to put a cap on the opener. Decked out in a dark suit, striped black shirt, and a grey Pork Pie, Person kept the groove going with a resounding take on Illinois Jacquet’s “Black Velvet.”

It goes without saying that Person was in top form; he’s ALWAYS in top form, whether fronting his own stuff or playing with others. Fire, light, and heat alternated out of Eric’s bell as Nelson flew like an eagle on McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance,” which let Enzer express himself slightly at the end of the piece. He and Davis kept things relatively straightforward, though Davis’ electric 5-string work on “I’ll be Just Fine” put me in mind of Lincoln Goines. 

We also got the sexy side of Person with a lovely rising version of “Lover Man.” That was the only time I missed Houston that evening because his tenor on that classic would have been sublime. But between Eric alternating between using alto sax, soprano sax, and flute to knock us around, we were in no way lacking for lead instruments, and Nelson’s role grew and grew as he and Eric rocked every break.

And the bottom line? We were having fun, both onstage and in the crowd. Technical brilliance is all well and good, but if it all comes across as a musical math lesson, why even bother coming out? Person and his partners were having fun, which was probably why Person asked Falcon main man Lee Falco if they could play two sets. Hey, things happen; plans change, you know? It all comes down to how you handle it, and Eric Person took a bunch of lemons and made musical lemonade flow.

Photo Gallery by Rudy Lu