August 3, 2014
7:00 pm
Where
Central Park SummerStage
Central Park
New York, NY
All Ages
Event Link
Gregory Porter’s Blue Note Records debut, the 2014 GRAMMY winning Liquid Spirit, arrived on the heels of two critically acclaimed, GRAMMY nominated indie label albums that quickly propelled Porter to the upper echelon of contemporary male jazz singers. Don Was, President of Blue Note, encouraged Porter to stay true to his artistic vision. “I firmly consider myself a jazz singer but I enjoy blues, southern soul, and gospel,” Porter says, “Those elements make their way inside my music. And I’ve always heard them in jazz.” Porter wields one of the most captivating baritone voices in music today. It emits enormous soul that conveys both the emotions and intellect of any given song without relying on vocal histrionics. Jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater praised Porter in JazzTimes, saying, “We haven’t had a male singer like him in a long time. He’s such a wonderful writer. He’s a story teller.” Heralded by the Village Voice for having some of New York City’s “most electrifying young lions in jazz,” Revive Big Band has a finger on the pulse of today’s emerging progressive sound. Formed in 2010 by trumpeter, composer and arranger Igmar Thomas, this multi-generational ensemble knows no limits as they advance and celebrate the tradition of the big band. The band’s repertoire features original compositions and inventive orchestrations of selected beats from legendary producers, notable hip-hop tracks and the original jazz records they sampled, all re-imagined and arranged into original works, in never seen before and sometimes never to be seen again live performances.The Revive Big Band’s recent shows include the 2014 WinterJazz Fest SummerStage Showcase featuring special guests Bilal and Dr. Lonnie Smith, Brooklyn Jazz with Oliver Lake and Sean Jones, special collaborations with Savion Glover and Pharoahe Monch and tributes to G.U.R.U and A Tribe Called Quest.