Gregory Porter Releases New Music Video | “Liquid Spirit”

GRAMMY-nominated jazz and soul singer Gregory Porter has just released the music video for “Liquid Spirit,” the title track of his impressive Blue Note debut, which will be released in the U.S. on September 17. Porter has also announced Fall tour dates in support of the new album including appearances in Los Angeles at the El Rey Theatre on September 25 and two New York City shows at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan on October 24 and Littlefield in Brooklyn on October 26. See below for a full list of tour dates.

Liquid Spirit – which is currently available for pre-order on iTunes and Amazon – is further justification for Porter’s quick ascent into the top ranks of jazz and R&B singers today. It features 3 covers and 11 new originals which showcase Porter’s innate gift for writing poignant songs based upon personal experiences with a relatable and emotional immediacy. Porter sees the album as a logical progression in his burgeoning discography as it touches on some of the same themes, particularly the highs and lows of romance, his childhood, and socio-political observations. More pointedly, he views the title track, a rousing, hand-clapping gospel-jazz romp, dealing with replenishing “thirsty” listeners with more substantial music, as the flipside to last year’s “Bling Bling,” a blistering song on his previous album Be Good on which the protagonist had so many artistic gifts to give but no one to give them to. Similar sentiments occur on “Musical Genocide,” on which Porter declares his refusal of accepting the insistent squashing of quality, diverse music and culture by a mainstream in favor of disposable, homogenized pap.

In part, these songs are based upon Porter’s reflections on new fans, worldwide, who come to him saying, “Where have you been?” or “How come I’ve never heard you before.” “Not saying that I am ‘what is,’ Porter says, “But I think maybe what I’m doing is what people actually want to hear. There are some people who want that liquid spirit – a soulful, thoughtful sound – and they haven’t been getting it.”

 

GREGORY PORTER – FALL TOUR DATES

Sept. 5 – Blue Note Nagoya – Nagoya, Japan
Sept. 6 – Blue Note Tokyo – Tokyo, Japan
Sept. 11 – Cabaret Sauvage – Paris, France
Sept. 12 – Espace Ligeria – Montlouis-sur-Loire, France
Sept. 13 – Grande Halle de La Villette – Paris, France
Sept. 14 – Blue Note Milan – Milan, Italy
Sept. 16 – Kulturfestival Kunstflecken – Neumunster, Germany
Sept. 20 – Monterey Jazz Festival – Monterey, CA
Sept. 21 – Russian River Jazz & Blues Festival – Guerneville, CA
Sept. 22 – Yoshi’s – Oakland, CA
Sept. 25 – El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 28 – Robert Ferst Center for the Arts – Atlanta, CA
Oct. 9 – Centro Cultural de Belem – Lisbon, Portugal
Oct. 11 – Casa Da Musica – Porto, Portugal
Oct. 12 – So What’s Next Festival – Eindhoven, Holland
Oct. 13 – Main Hall De Doelen – Rotterdam, Holland
Oct. 14 – Concertgebouw – Amsterdam, Holland
Oct. 15 – De Oosterpoort – Groningen, Holland
Oct. 16 – Concert De Vereeniging – Nijmegen, Holland
Oct. 18 – El Mediator / Theatre De L’archipel – Perignan, France
Oct. 19 – Theatre Ollioules – Chateau Vallon, France
Oct. 20 – Salle du Vigean A Eysines – Eysines, France
Oct. 21 – Cave Cooperative de Bouillargues – Nimes, France
Oct. 24 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
Oct. 25 – Miami Nice Jazz Festival – Miami, FL
Oct. 26 – Littlefield – Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 27 – Shea Center for the Performing Arts – Wayne, NJ
Oct. 30 – Royal Albert Hall – London, England
Nov. 1 – Art Across Campus Legends of Jazz Series – Syracuse, NY
Nov. 14 – Kulturzentrum Kammgarn – Kaiserslautern, Germany
Nov. 15 – Circus Krone – Munich, Germany
Nov. 16 – Konzerthaus Dortmund – Dortmund, Germany
Nov. 18 – Stadthalle – Heidelberg, Germany
Nov. 19 – Alte Oper – Frankfurt, Germany
Nov. 20 – Theater Am Aegi – Hannover, Germany
Nov. 21 – Kammermusiksaal – Berlin, Germany
Nov. 23 – Laeiszhalle – Hamburg, Germany
Nov. 24 – Die Glocke – Bremen, Germany
Nov. 25 – Tonhalle Dusseldorf – Dusseldorf, Germany