Gregory Porter – Water
Wateris the debut studio album by American jazz musician Gregory Porter. It was released under the Motéma Music label on May 11, 2010.
Reception
Christopher Loudon of JazzTimes stated “The intersection of Kurt Elling and Sammy Davis Jr. may seem an unfathomable junction, but that’s precisely where you’ll find Gregory Porter. On his debut album, consisting largely of original tunes that are as uniformly impressive as his sound, Porter takes the best of Davis-the superior interpretive skills, clarion tone and immaculate diction that were too often overwhelmed by staginess-and marries it to the best of Elling, complete with some solid scatting”.
Phil Johnson of The Independent wrote “Tipped by Jamie Cullum as one to watch, Porter is a deep-voiced vocalist from Bakersfield, California. There’s an obvious debt to Kurt Elling but Porter seems relatively unbound by technique, sounding less mannered and more soulful as a result”.
Personnel Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding, Yoske Sato Arranged By – Chip Crawford, Gregory Porter, Kamau Kenyatta Bass – Aaron James Drums – Chuck McPherson, Emanuel Harrold Piano – Chip Crawford Trombone – Robert Stringer Trumpet – Curtis Taylor , Kafele Bandele , Melvin Vines Vocals – Gregory Porter
