Renowned saxophonist Eric Person has notched an impressive resume performing and recording with many legends in jazz such as Dave Holland, McCoy Tyner, Chico Hamilton, Houston Person, John Hicks and many others. Eric has performed with genre-bending musicians Vernon Reid, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Will Calhoun, and Ben Harper. An active band leader, Person leads the Eric Person Quartet, Trio-kinesis, Eric Person Big Band and Person2Person (features Houston Person). He is a prolific composer with eleven CDs under his leadership, with his latest being 2022’s Blue Vision .

In 1982, Person moved to New York City from St. Louis Missouri. The following year, he received the opportunity to perform with legendary drummer Chico Hamilton. For 15 years, Eric toured the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America, recording six CDs with him as well.

From 1994-1997, Eric was a pivotal member of the Dave Holland Quartet.  This high-energy ensemble performed at prestigious concert halls and festivals throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada and recorded the classic Dream of the Elders. During this same period, Person was a member of the World Saxophone Quartet and is featured on the band’s CD Moving Right Along.

After many years as a sideman, Person recorded his debut as a leader.  Arrival, the 1993 release, emphasized a variety of styles, fresh compositional approaches, and a willingness to take chances. It was an auspicious beginning with Josef Woodard of Down Beat Magazine saying “Person swerving to the left, finding a fresh path between mainstream jazz and chancier, more personalized terrain.” 

Eric’s sophomore release Prophecy,  is a daring, conceptual release which focuses on Eric’s saxophones in solo, duos, and trio settings. James Marcus of Jazz Times states that Person’s successes within Prophecy are “evidence of a formidable talent.” 

More Tales to Tell, Person’s1997 release, features his working band along with two performances by guest bassist Dave Holland. By this time, strong arrangements and compositions were a hallmark of every Eric Person CD. The band was expanded on select numbers to include acoustic guitar, bass clarinet, bassoon, and flute.

In1999, Person formed his own label Distinction Records and under the newly formed moniker Meta-Four released Extra Pressure and Live at Big Sur. Reviewing Live at Big Sur, Russ Musto of All About Jazz says “Person is more then fine; he’s a major talent of his generation.” In the 2000s, he released a succession of CDs that put his saxophone in different contexts, revealing his versatility. Reflections The Best of Collection, Rhythm Edge, The Grand Illusion, Thoughts on God and Duoscope all spotlight Eric’s personal sound, dexterity, and compositional prowess. Of The Grand Illusion, Donald Elfman of All About Jazz says: “Person seems to find something new to say and a different direction to follow with every project he undertakes.”

Since arriving in New York, Eric Person’s career has featured many highlights from being a featured soloist with the New York City Symphony at the Apollo Theater to performing with the McCoy Tyner Big Band at the Newport Jazz Festival. Today, jazz education is at the top of the list of endeavors. In addition to performing, Eric is currently an adjunct saxophone instructor at Bard College in upstate New York. In 2015, Eric was selected to study orchestration at the Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA with many of jazz’s top composers and arrangers like James Newton, Steve Coleman, Nicole Mitchell, and others. In 2019, Person received his bachelors degree in music from Empire State College. This fulfilled his personal mission to receive his degree in music and make education an important part of his wheelhouse.