One of the greatest voices of our generation, two-time GRAMMY Award winning singing sensation Gregory Porter returns to South Africa early next year for his first solo concert tour. Leading local promoter Showtime Management is proud to announce ‘An Intimate Evening with Gregory Porter’ in association with Cape Talk at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town on 21 January at 7pm followed by three Johannesburg concerts in association with 702 at Montecasino’s Teatro on 26, 27 and 28 January at 8pm. Tickets are on sale at showtime.co.za and webtickets.co.za
Hailing from New York, seven-time GRAMMY nominee, Gregory Porter is easily recognised by his signature cap and “deep booming baritone”. This highly talented musician, actor and recording artist who previously played in SA at the Joy of Jazz Festival in 2014 and 2015 has a long association with the people of this country and the African continent. “Whether he’s recording, streaming or live on stage, Gregory Porter is big in stature and voice but far bigger in the hearts of his South African fans,” says Showtime Management’s Tony Feldman. “We are looking forward to hosting this music giant when he returns next year.”
Over the past decade, Porter has taken the world by storm, bringing Jazz to the masses and collecting numerous accolades and acknowledgements. Known for his warm baritone vocals, singer and songwriter Gregory Porter rose to acclaim in the 2010s with his earthy, cross-pollinated brand of jazz, soul, and gospel. A gifted singer of standards as well as more contemporary soul material, Porter has earned favourable comparisons to his idols Nat King Cole, Donny Hathaway, and Stevie Wonder.
He announced his arrival by picking up a Grammy nomination for his 2010 debut, Water. After signing to Blue Note, he gained even wider notice for his third album, 2013’s Liquid Spirit, which hit number two on the jazz charts, and won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Produced by Brian Bacchus, Liquid Spirit album landed at number two on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. It also became the one of the most streamed jazz albums of all time, with over 20 million streams.
His second effort for Blue Note, Take Me to the Alley, was released in early 2016, and featured Porter’s own version of “Holding On,” a track he co-wrote and previously recorded with electronic act Disclosure. Also in 2016, Porter delivered the concert album Live in Berlin. The following year he released an album that paid tribute to the artist who had been most influential on his own music. Nat King Cole & Me featured Porter’s versions of some of Cole’s most treasured classics, including “Smile” and “Mona Lisa.” The concert album One Night Only: Live at the Royal Albert Hall arrived in 2018.
In 2019 the singer launched and hosted his own podcast, ‘The Hang’, which has amassed two successful seasons to date and played host to a range of celebrity guests.
In 2020 Gregory Porter eagerly returned to the studio with the release of his sixth studio album ‘All Rise’, out on Decca Records / Blue Note. ‘All Rise’ marked a return to Gregory’s much loved, heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy and real-life detail, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues, and gospel.
‘All Rise’ also represents the evolution of Porter’s art to something even more emphatic, emotive, intimate, and universal too. After ‘Nat King Cole & Me’, Porter knew two things: one, he’d bring in an orchestra for his next LP, and, two, music is medicine. In the spirit of that latter revelation, ‘All Rise’ brims with songs about irrepressible love, plus a little protest, because the road to healing is bumpy.
Following ‘All Rise’, Gregory Porter released his debut collection ‘Still Rising’ album a year later, in 2021. This 34-track double album includes brand new songs, covers duets and a handpicked selection of his much-loved songs. ‘Still Rising’ is an exquisite selection box of musical delights. The first disc includes five brand-new tracks, two new arrangements and nine of Porter’s most loved global tracks. The second disc features breath-taking covers and duets, boasting songs with Paloma Faith, Moby, Jamie Cullum, Jeff Goldblum, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
Of the collection, Porter says: “This is my music up until now, but it’s not a ‘Greatest Hits’. They often come at the end of someone’s career, and I still feel new and young in mine. I have much more to say. There is always something in an artist’s career that people don’t know about; I wanted to bring it to their attention. The album title echoes my last one, All Rise, because I am reiterating something evident in my music and the new songs here – this upward-looking optimism about life and love. It’s an unfinished story for me, both musically and personally. And I’m still learning how to do this. Still rising.”
Early in 2021, Porter released ‘The PorterHouse with Gregory Porter’ Presented by Citi, a six-episode cooking series in which the singer shares recipes inspired by his local community, culinary experiences on tour and his own family cooking traditions.
Earlier this year Gregory Porter was invited by fellow GRAMMY nominated vocalist, Somi to record the song “Love Tastes like Strawberries” as a duet, on her ‘Zenzile, The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba’ album in tribute to Makeba’s 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba.
Following engagements across the USA and Europe for the remainder of this year, Gregory Porter will kick-off his 2023 touring schedule in South Africa with ‘An Intimate Evening with Gregory Porter”. Don’t miss this opportunity to get up close and personal in the company of this jazz legend live in concert. Book now www.showtime.co.za or www.webtickets.co.za or at your nearest Pick ‘n Pay retail store. It’s always Showtime! #GregoryPorterSA
