Review: If you get a chance, treat yourself to a Gregory Porter show

“We want more! We want more! We want more!”

Those were the chants of the packed to capacity audience at the Teatro exactly a week ago. The chants were directed to America jazz vocalist, Gregory Porter, who thought he had gotten away with a glorious rendition of Musical Genocide. As he slowly slid through the curtain and into backstage, while his band were playing their last tune — his fans wanted more.

The chants lasted for about three minutes after the band got off stage. Fortunately, Porter and his team walked back on stage to sing the best version of No Love Dying Here you’ll ever hear. The last part of this 2013 song sees him shout at the top of his voice, telling a story of an old man declaring his undying love on Mountain Everest.

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But before that closing act, it was a feast of good music, scintillating second keys from Andre Jay’s organ, the heart moving vibrations of Jahmal Nichols’ bass guitar, and Emanuel Harrold’s drum was the beat of the night while Albert Crawford’s piano propelled Porter’s velvet, silk soft voice.

Studio versus live act

The audience had a chance to experience a totally different Gregory Porter from his studio albums. Porter has released half-a-dozen albums since making his debut 13 years ago with his album titled Water.

But trust yours truly — Porter sounds nothing like his studio records. A number of performers have always been hellbent on trying to replicate what you hear on their vinyl, or CD, which explains the less fancied trend of lip-synching while on stage. Rest assured — you are going to find none of that when the Be Good singer is on stage.

You are probably wondering which song received the best reception because his catalogue is popular in Mzansi. But as expected, Hey Laura almost blew the roof away. Although released in 2013, the hit remains a very popular jam in the country, which is evident in the warm embrace that he received.

But there was no better moment, at least for me, than when Porter was introduced by Talk Radio 702’s Clement Manyathela and right after his band hit the note to cue him in. The 51-year-old’s presence took over the whole room. His opening song was Holding On.

And having seen multiple performances of this Disclosure original track, this rendition was mighty different. It is not often that the father of two opens up his shows with this song. Perhaps his voice still had a fresh appetite to dish out for his audience. His voice was rich, as always.

Lost in the crowd

Normally when he is on stage, Gregory Porter eases the tempo after performing a few popular songs and tries to introduce a less known jam. The script was no different and after singing Holding On, the two-time Grammy recipient took his audience on a trip to Harlem, captured everyone’s emotion with Take Me To The Alley, reminded all of 1960-What, and had everyone on their feet and clapping to Liquid Spirit.

But there was a song that no one really responded to. For the first time, you could almost hear the echo in the arena.

Porter sang it for about a minute or so but the silence spoke to how much of an astute performer he is. The fedora-wearing artist could feel an immediate disconnect with his audience. He decided to politely instruct his band to halt the melody. Then instead of singing, he spoke the lyrics, detailed the roots of it and moved on to the next track.

The Fabrics of Gregory Porter

One fabric that will forever be engraved in Porter’s fans is his fedora. He wears a Kangol Summer Spitfire hat that is tailored to cover half of his face and ears. Legend has it that Porter has dreadlocks hidden underneath his extended hat. But the main reason he wears it is because he had skin surgery on his face and would rather have it covered up. But hey, who is complaining, as long as the voice comes out ever so smooth.

But musically, the make-up of Gregory Porter go far and beyond his iconic appearance. His band has been pivotal in his over annual 200 world wide tours.

Albert “Chip” Crawford – Pianist

Porter does not play the drum or the piano. He steps nowhere near the organ or saxophone as he sticks to singing his heart out, leaving everything to his band, which is the fabric that makes up Gregory Porter. “Chip” is Porter’s literal right hand-man as he usually sits on Porter’s right, with his back against the audience. He plays lead on most of the songs and has feature songs such as Wolfcry and Don’t Be a Fool.

Tivon Pennicott – Saxophonist

Pennicott always takes centre stage with his solos in songs like Consequences of Love, Holding On and Take Me To The Alley. He was by far the most impressive member of the band with his tenor sax that echoed in the Teatro.

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Emmanuel Harold – Drummer

Harold hit his drum so hard when playing Liquid Spirit to the point that one of his drum sticks, which flew down the path of Pinnicott, who graciously – while blowing his sax – a handicap Harold improvising – bent over to pick up his stick and handed it over. A gesture that received applause and cheers from the audience.

Jahmal Nichols – Bass Guitarist

Almost as tall as Porter, the quick-finger guitarist specializes in bass and he is the livewire of Musical Genocide. His foreplay and solo of the song is second to none. But if you get a seat in the back rows, you’re probably going to see his shadow or nothing at all (depending on your positioning) because he appears as a Porter silhouette. However, his bass rings ever-so-satisfyingly-loud

Andre Jay – Organ

Jay plays second key most of the time as he is the latest addition to Gregory Porter’s band. The organ specialist did get a solo in Harlem, playing a rare prelude lead note to the next song, much to the delight of the audience.