Blue Note Summer Sessions: Gregory Porter

Blue Note Summer Sessions presents acclaimed singer-songwriter Gregory Porter at The Meritage Resort on Friday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. Porter was raised in Bakersfield and cites the Bakersfield Southern Gospel sound, as well as his mother’s Nat King Cole record collection, as fundamental influences on his sound. He began singing in jazz clubs in San Diego while attending San Diego State University on a football scholarship. Eventually he moved to New York City to pursue music full-time, and released his first two albums, Water (2010) and Be Good (2012), both of which received Grammy nominations. In 2013, he released his breakout Blue Note debut Liquid Spirit, which grew into a global phenomenon, selling more than a million albums and earning Porter his first Grammy Award with NPR declaring him “America’s Next Great Jazz Singer.” His 2016 follow-up, Take Me To The Alley, won Porter his second Grammy Award and established him as his generation’s most soulful jazz artist. In 2017, Porter released the tribute album Nat King Cole & Me, and in 2020 returned to his original songwriting on All Rise. His 2021 release, Still Rising, collected new songs, covers, duets and a selection of his most-loved hits. In 2023, Porter released his first holiday album, Christmas Wish. Meritage Resort, 850 Bordeaux Way, Napa, www.bluenotejazz.com/Napa