Like a technique actor who harnesses the matrix of memories and experiences that shape his emotional terrain, Gregory Porter returns again and again to his mother's love of musical inspiration.
A soulful singer and songwriter who has won two Grammy Awards, he’s the proud bearer of a lineage that stretches from Nat “King” Cole and Ray Charles to Lou Rawls and Donny Hathaway. Although deeply rooted within the jazz tradition, he has gained a following far beyond the jazz scene through seven albums and collaborations with artists corresponding to DJ and producer Moby, pianist and actor Jeff Goldblum and British singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding.
A songwriter who loved to speak about his craft, Porter has often spoken about how his mother's unwavering belief in his talent sustained him in his early years.
“I don't want to wear down the thought of my mother's strength, but I don't care if I do,” Porter, 53, said in a recent video call from his home in Bakersfield, town where he was single His mother, an ordained minister, raised him and his seven siblings.
He performs on the Paramount Theater in Oakland on December eighth a concert presented by SFJAZZ, and while he’ll record songs from him 2023 album “Christmas Wish” his repertoire spans your complete discography. To tell a bigger story about perseverance, spiritual healing and the enduring power of affection, Porter draws on the stories he heard “when he sat in the first pew where my mother preached,” he said.
“There is a consistent message in my music, and I weave the Christmas songs thematically in such a way that you can see the connection. There's a freshness, energy and consistency to the songs and I don't want there to be a disconnect. I want to experience a soulful jazz Christmas together with my soulful jazz.”
The power of Porter's message comes from his warm, powerful baritone and saintly delivery, but is enhanced by his commanding presence. Before deciding to concentrate on singing, he played lineman for the Aztecs at San Diego State. The combination of tenacity and tenderness, sensitivity and strength, gives his music a generosity that evokes the wonder of childhood and the complexity of maturity.
His muse appears in evoking scenes and feelings from his youth, “when life was so extraordinary, dynamic and interesting,” he said. “My mother believed in me more than I believed in myself, and I always think back on these stories and find them to be the most profound experiences of my life. The lyrics that come out of it are my strongest songs.”
And there are other artists who’ve found a deep connection to his material. On her extraordinary 2022 album “Ghost Song,” Cécile McLorin paired Salvant Porter’s “No Love Dying” with “Optimistic Voices,” a then-little-known song from “The Wizard of Oz” with lyrics by Yip Harburg and music by Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart.
Porter's interests are diverse. During the pandemic he created a cooking show, “The PorterHouse with Gregory Porter” which was presented by Citi and ran for six episodes. He saw the project as a chance to inform “part of my origin story around my mother’s kitchen table,” he said.
“I helped prepare meals for the large family of eight children, five boys and three girls. I would spend special time with mom because she would be there. And before I made music, I had a catering business and worked in a few kitchens in New York and California.”
He also began a podcast called “The Hang with Gregory Porter,” which features his conversations with other musicians. In the primary episode, he sat down with one in all his heroes, Earth, Wind and Fire's Philip Bailey.
“It was a way to talk to someone during our lonely Covid time when we didn’t know if music would come back,” he said. “I just wanted to talk to artists, find out how they came about and find out if they were similar to mine.”
Porter's pedigree as a bandleader is obvious each time he performs, as his quintet includes pianist Chip Crawford and drummer Emanuel Harrold, players who’ve worked with him for the reason that release of his debut album, Water, on Motéma Music in 2010. After experiences with musicians who showed little interest within the stories behind his songs, he found a team that encouraged and embraced his message.
“I realized you shouldn’t try to be someone else,” he said. “I realized where I come from, what my roots are, that’s how I connect with other people.”
Porter enjoys his mother's love and is a jazz singer for all seasons.
Gregory Porter
When: December eighth, 7 p.m
Where: Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland; presented by SFJAZZ
Tickets: $65-$160; www.sfjazz.org
image credit : www.mercurynews.com