Gregory Porter @ The Symphony Hall, 11th November 2014

Tonight we are in the presence of greatness, for not only is Gregory Porter a Grammy winner, but one of the smoothest gentlemen in the music industry.

Tonight’s show is about music, nothing more. There are no large backdrops, no fancy light displays, just subtle lighting, and the band closely arranged, on the vast stage. A grand piano, double bass, drummer and Yosuke Sato, one the best saxophonists I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.

They are all accomplished professionals, but of course we are here to witness the voice, and from the moment Gregory opens his mouth the smooth tones washes over the audience and we’re hooked, mesmerised, we know we are witnessing greatness.

Drawing on his previous albums, he opens with “Painted on Canvas”, and weaves in and out of both the ‘Liquid Spirit’ and ‘Be Good’ albums. “On my way to Harlem” he says “Marvin Gaye used to play here, I could so use some of those blues”, and its greats such as Marvin Gaye that Gregory Porter can be compared, he effortlessly captivates with an incredible voice but with such an unassuming manner. For “Wolfcry”  he duets with the Chip Crawford on piano, who initially throws in a burst of Superman theme, but the real Superman then takes centre stage. During the pauses you really could hear a pin drop, there is pure silence, and everyone is watching, waiting for what is next.

“1960 what?” was superb, clear that each musician on stage are really enjoying themselves, and they could’ve played all night, it was breath-taking, but at just over ninety minutes Gregory takes leave of the stage, thanking the audience while the band play on, before they too acknowledge the applause and leave the stage.

There is one encore, and I truly expected the recent radio-friendly “In-Crowd”, but this was not to be and instead we were treated to “Real Good Hands”.

Simply stunning. Obviously I never saw Nat King Cole, but I’ve seen the new heir to his throne tonight. Gregory Porter will be a huge star, deservedly so; he has the most beautiful voice, and is a wonderful songwriter too. In the Symphony Hall he has also found the perfect venue, and at one point I simply sat back, closed my eyes and drifted, the sound was perfect (as it always is here) but the real star, the true talent was centre stage, Gregory Porter; one Grammy at present, and no doubt many more to follow.

Special mention must be made for tonight’s support, Avery Sunshine, a pocket-sized singer with a huge voice. Playing keyboard, accompanied by an acoustic guitar she was vibrant and full of energy. She covered “You’ve got a friend” which was excellent, but her encore, yes she was drawn back out for an encore as support artist, consisted of nods to Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson, splitting the audience into three and getting them to sing various parts. She said she was on ‘Later….with Jools Holland’ “a couple of years ago” and she really was good.

The only complaint tonight for me was that there was no merchandise for sale, despite a sign listing CD’s and vinyl there was none visible, and I’m not sure why. However, first task tomorrow is to buy all Gregory’s back catalogue.

Review: Glenn Raybone

Photograph courtesy of www.gregoryporter.com

About Author