The Opening Round
# The Opening Round

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

Professional ratings :

| Review scores ||
| - | - |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | |

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
