Schedule

Friday, August 11, 2023 at 8:00 pm (Main Stage)

When it comes to singing, if you’re going to learn from anyone, who better than Nat King Cole? Young Gregory Porter was entranced with his mother’s Nat King Cole records and soon could croon as well as Mr. Cole, imitating his every nuance perfectly. To this day, Cole’s silken vocal style is evident in Gregory’s seductively smooth baritone. His unmistakable warmth and effortless phrasing has been there from the beginning. When an injury derailed his football career, he headed for New York where he worked as a chef by day and sang at jazz clubs at night. It was there he would meet his eventual mentor, saxophonist, composer, and pianist Kamau Kenyatta. Kenyatta, in turn, introduced him to flutist Hubert Laws who featured Gregory’s vocal work on his tribute to — who else? — Nat King Cole.

From there, opportunity abounded. Gregory was cast as a lead in It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues, which enjoyed a successful run on Broadway. His third record and Blue Note debut, Liquid Spirit, earned a Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014. The record also became the top streamed jazz album, logging more than 20 million times listeners who tapped into his beautiful singing.

Having him perform on our stage is the greatest of honors. We’re smitten with his rich baritone, his stylish and inviting stage presence and his deep catalogue of songs; music that spans from the great Nat Cole to today’s contemporary themes. Welcome to the mountains, Mr. Porter, and by extension, you, too, Mr. Cole.