Singing sensation Gregory Porter comes to SA next year

Image by Erik Umphery: Gregory Porter is coming to South Africa in 2023

Leading local promoter Showtime Management is proud to announce ‘An Intimate Evening with Gregory Porter’ at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town on 21 January at 7pm followed by three Johannesburg concerts 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, 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.

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“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.”

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, the Liquid Spirit album landed at number two on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. It also became one of the most streamed jazz albums of all time, with over 20 million streams.

In 2020 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 Porter’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.

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. 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.

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.”

An Intimate Evening with Gregory Porter will take place at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town on 21 January at 7pm followed by three Johannesburg concerts at Montecasino’s Teatro on 26, 27 and 28 January at 8pm. Tickets are on sale here.