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Gregory Porter At The Ulster Hall, Belfast
by Ian Patterson
Gregory Porter Ulster Hall Belfast, N. Ireland March 31, 2016Though Gregory Porter has played Ireland several times, it's unlikely that any of the previous venues to welcome the Californian singer-songwriter have quite the history--or indeed the character--of Belfast's Ulster Hall. In its one hundred-and-fifty-year history this handsome Victorian music hall has hosted novelist Charles Dickens, composer Edgar Elgar, entertainer and activist Paul Robeson and, in 1971, Led Zeppelin, who premiered “Stairway to Heaven" here. From ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter/Donald Smith/Mansur Scott: Great Voices Of Harlem
by Dan Bilawsky
Harlem has long been known as an incubator for talent, birthing and/or nurturing some of the all-time greats in music, literature, and art. Nearly a century separates the dawning of the famed Harlem Renaissance and the creation of this album, but Great Voices Of Harlem serves as undeniable proof that this large neighborhood at the north end of Manhattan still holds artistic treasures within its borders. Great Voices Of Harlem, in some respects, isn't just a nod ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter, Donald Smith, Mansur Scott: Great Voices Of Harlem
by Bruce Lindsay
Great Voices Of Harlem showcases the vocal talents of three most fascinating jazz singers--Gregory Porter, Donald Smith and Mansur Scott. Ably supported by Paul Zauner's Blue Brass, the vocalists put their very individual stamps on some classic songs. The result is a stylish, classy, recording. Scott gets the lion's share of credits, with appearances on seven tracks to Smith and Porter's four apiece (all three share vocals on Horace Silver's “Peace"). Porter, a Grammy-winning international star, is the ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter: Liquid Spirit
by Bruce Lindsay
Gregory Porter has a lot to live up to. Widespread critical acclaim, Grammy nominations and reviewers suggesting that he's the next big jazz star, the man to bring jazz back to mainstream popularity, all lay a big artistic burden on his (admittedly quite broad) shoulders. Liquid Spirit is his third album and it heralds a move to a major label, Blue Note. Maybe that just raises expectations even higher. No matter--Porter meets, and even exceeds, such expectations.Porter's voice ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter: Sound & Vision
by Chris M. Slawecki
Artists who mix or move between two styles, no matter how smoothly, sometimes risk being critically or commercially marooned between them. Gregory Porter sings in a style deeply steeped in the best soul and rhythm-and-blues schools; his deep and warm instrument conjures echoes of Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and other legendary voices. Even so, his first two albums are unmistakably jazz records. Water (Motéma, 2010) and Be Good (Motéma, 2012) are brightened by sharp arrangements, shimmering production (by Brian Bacchus ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter: Be Good
by AAJ Italy Staff
Il suo debutto, l'anno scorso con Water, è stato impressionante e ha consentito al cantante californiano di ottenere una sorprendente nomination ai Grammy come Best Jazz Vocal. Le aspettative per questo secondo disco erano dunque alte e, per quanto riguarda il vostro recensore, miste al timore d'assistere a un'altra promessa mancata (o diluita nei territori del pop). Non è stato così e ne siamo felici. Gregory Porter conferma talento d'interprete e d'autore (nove brani sono suoi, tutti molto belli), versatilità ...
Continue ReadingGregory Porter: Be Good
by Dan Bilawsky
Debut albums often serve as fine introductions to the work of fledgling artists with potential for greater things, but that wasn't the case with Gregory Porter's Water (Motéma, 2010). Porter's debut, which was nominated for a Grammy Award, presented a vocal soul-jazz juggernaut that seemingly materialized out of thin air as a fully matured musical entity. His early experiences working in small San Diego clubs and singing in Off-Broadway and Broadway productions in New York helped Porter to establish himself ...
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