With a voice that can caress or confront, embrace or exhort, Grammy nominee, Gregory Porter exhibits such an incredible degree of vocal mastery that no less a jazz luminary than Wynton Marsalis has gone on record to call him “a fantastic young singer”.

Some of the singers that Porter cites as influential are familiar – Nat King Cole, Joe Williams and Donny Hathaway – and others – such as the pastor of the church he attended as a child among them – may never realize their impact on his development as an artist.

In the short fifteen months since Gregory Porter exploded onto the international music scene with his debut CD "Water", he has racked up a continuing stream of accolades and awards. Porter’s "Water" garnered a ‘Best Jazz Vocal ‘ Grammy® nomination (a rare feat for a debut recording) and rocketed into the UK Jazz charts, making significant inroads going on be included on an international array of year-end ‘Best Of’ lists for 2010 in several genres. The happy result is that, in less than a year and a half, these successes have created a formidable draw for Porter as an international touring artist.

Porter’s ascending star is viewed most brightly in Europe, especially in the UK, where he has performed on Jamie Cullum’s BBC radio program, on Later with Jools Holland, as a featured guest at the London Jazz Festival and as one of two special guests on Carole King’s 2011 BBC holiday television special. UK’s Jazz Wise magazine named Water the #1 Jazz Album of 2011 (the first time a vocal album has achieved this distinction.). Meanwhile, across the channel in France and Belgium press and radio have showered Porter with incredible accolades, lauding him as the new “Roi of Vocal Jazz,” in both jazz and mainstream press outlets such as L’Express.” As his international reputation continues to grow “.