originally published: 12/14/2022

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Jazz973 at Clements Place Jazz presents the return of the Matt Chertkoff Trio featuring the Legendary Saxophonist Houston Person on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 7:00pm. After a wildly successful performance earlier this season, a return performance was requested by many in attendance and the club is happy the band has agreed to return to entertain their audience. Clements Place isextremely excited as this promises to be a really swinging night of live music featuring the legendary and widely renowned saxophonist Houston Person. Joining us for this premier engagement are the dynamic drummer Pete Van Nostrand and the always in demand, smooth cool bassist Mike Karn.

Joining Matt will be Saxophonist Houston Person. “With his robust sound and swinging style, tenor saxophonist Houston Person has kept the hard bop and organ-soaked soul-jazz traditions alive. Emerging from organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith's group, Person established his reputation as one of the Big Boss tenors in the Gene Ammons style with albums like 1968's Blue Odyssey, 1969's Goodness!, and 1970's Person to Person.” 

Rounding out the Matt Chertkoff trio will be Michael Karn who started in music as a tenor saxophonist, and after graduating high school he attended New York University, where his teachers were Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. After college Michael immediately joined the Ray Charles Orchestra, and spent 1988 and '89 touring the United States, Europe, and Japan. Michael appeared with Ray at the Northsea and Playboy Jazz Festivals, and at such venues as the Blue Note, The Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center, and the Wolftrap Center for the Performing Arts.and Playboy Jazz Festivals, and at such venues as the Blue Note, 

Filling out the trio will be drummer Pete Van Nostrand a graduate of Rutgers University, and The Juilliard School, is an in demand drummer and has been called on to perform with Steve Davis,Jeremy Pelt, Eric Reed, Aaron Parks, Gerald Clayton, Chihiro Yamanaka,Dan Nimmer, Jeb Patton, Jim Rotundi, Mike LeDonne, Paula West, SachalVasandani, among many others. More recently has has been working with  Kenny Barron, Brian Lynch, Jimmy Heath, Kurt Elling, The ClaytonBrothers, and Natalie Cole. He can be heard touring with the Aaron Dhiel Quartet, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and the Gerald Claytontrio.