"...one of the most brilliant and imaginative contemporary composers of mainstream jazz...
stimulating and emotive original music with a rare blend of sophistication and organic spontaneity."
- CHICAGO JAZZ MAGAZINE
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"Porter's playing is fluid, expressive, and magnificent"
- DOWNBEAT
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MUSIC
About the album
Not a stranger to the idea of infusing one's art with examinations of societal conditions, Grammy-winning trumpeter Charlie Porter follows 2019's 'Immigration Nation' with thoughts of how we act in hindsight to deal with the collateral damage of 'progress' and the centuries-old struggles with racism, inequality and corruption. Born during the upheavals of 2020, 'Hindsight' reflects the tumult, uncertainty, and fiery emotions of the times, yet with the recent birth of his son and thoughts of how we're going to leave the planet for the next generation, his 'For Ellis' closes the album with a gospel choir and a hymn of hope. Joining Porter on the wide-ranging set of originals are saxophonist Nick Biello, pianist Orrin Evans, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassists David Wong & Damian Erskine, Behn Gillece on vibes, drummer Kenneth Salters, along with several guest performers.
Personnel:
Orrin Evans - piano & keys
Mike Moreno - guitar
Nick Biello - alto & soprano saxohpones
David Wong - upright bazz
Damian Erskine - electric bass
Behn Gillece - vibes
Kenneth Salters - drums
Jimmie Herrod - vocals
Rasheed Jamal - rap vocals
Majid Khaliq - violin
Bassekou Kouyate - ngoni
Mahamadou Tounkara - tama
Original cover art by Mark Kostabi
What others are saying...
"Once again Charlie Porter delivers big on his third album as a leader "Hindsight". With an all-star first rate band, original compositions and arrangements, Charlie serves up a smorgasbord of different delights, coming at you from many directions (and even cities and countries!) and like his previous projects they all are perfect parts of the totality of the album's overall design. Everyone gets to stretch, and there's a lot of accumulated knowledge here. Looking back and forward at the same time, this is a great album and Charlie's playing throughout is just flawless and lovely...and oh yes the record is sonically perfect too. I would think Charlie's newborn son Ellis will love this record is he grows into life, as would his namesake our hero the late Ellis Marsalis who I'm sure can hear this too in his immortal infinite wisdom..."
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- Randy Brecker
About the album
With a sweeping collection of new music, acclaimed trumpeter/composer Charlie Porter gathers a dynamic group of forward-looking musicians to celebrate America's rich immigrant history. In a time when immigration policy has become a heart-wrenching polarizing topic, Porter felt compelled to reclaim the uniting power of the word 'immigrant' through art, knowing its healing capacity can be great when crafted with intention. This diverse cast presents twelve original compositions in two sets, 'Leaving Home' & 'New Beginnings.' The ensemble burns and soars while embracing many global influences that have found their way into the music, including elements from Porter's Lebanese/Greek/Italian heritage, all while fully living in the essence and language of jazz.
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Personnel: Charlie Porter (trumpet, flugelhorn) Nick Biello (tenor saxophone) Oscar Perez (piano) David Wong (bass) Kenneth Salters (drums) Sabine Kabongo (vocals).
Listen on Spotify
What others are saying...
"Porter's playing is fluid, expressive, and magnificent"
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- DownBeat Magazine
"a joyful but tempered expression of optimism...poignantly voiced...nuanced performance"
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- JAZZIZ Magazine
"What is most striking about this record is that above and beyond an important and all inclusive social narrative, the music is honest and engaged fully with the embodiment of what jazz is musically. The narrative is expressed without the music being over-produced or obliged to that narrative. The multi-colored compositional content, and soulful playing by all participants magnifies two grand commonalities shared by the American people—that we are a nation of immigrants, and that jazz music is the means by which we most elegantly state our cultural identity."
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- Paul Rauch, ALL ABOUT JAZZ
"Impressionistic with an almost symphonic sweep, this is an old school/modern set with real boots on the ground feel. A sterling merger of politics and music."
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- Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Sublime...Joyous...Fascinating"
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- Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
About the album
This self-titled debut album features ten varied, original compositions, as well as a little-known gem by Duke Ellington, only ever recorded once, in 1940, prior to this recording.
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With nine ensembles comprised of twenty-one of Portland's best jazz musicians, this album showcases Charlie's writing and playing within a diverse spectrum of sound, from solo to sextet. It begins with a solo trumpet track, and then builds from a duo up to sextet and then back down from quintet to solo trumpet, for the last track. The palindromic form of the album and the different instrumentation of each track help to conceptually unify the pieces, yet send the listener on a journey of musical diversity.
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Personnel:
John Nastos, David Evans (saxophones) John Moak (trombone) Majid Khaliq (violin) George Colligan, David Goldblatt, Dan Gaynor, Greg Goebel (piano) Christopher Woitach (guitar) Chuck Israels, Jon "sticky" Lakey, Tim Gilson, Tom Wakeling, Dylan Sundstrom, Bill Athens, Cary Mija (bass) Mel Brown, Christopher Brown, Alan Jones, Tim Rap, Michael Raynor (drums).
Listen on Spotify
What others are saying...
"Technical wizardry"
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- DownBeat Magazine
"A testament to Porter's prodigious talent and imaginative creativity"
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- All About Jazz
"It's different - very innovative and creative, great sound, fantastic technique, and control, great compositions! I think that it'll be very well received by music fans."
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- Arturo Sandoval
"Simply a winner in all respects. It's virtuosic trumpet playing first of all, without sacrificing musicality, and the whole album is so well structured without losing the excitement of spontaneity at the same time. This is one I'll be listening to many times over. This CD gets right to the MUSIC from the first phrase of 'Prologue' to the last note of 'Epilogue' and every note in between!"
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- Randy Brecker
"With his creative soul, stylistic prowess, and effortless technical skills, Charlie Porter is taking what can be played on the trumpet to new heights. He makes the impossible sound effortless and beautiful. Charlie and the great musicians on this album have set the bar at the highest level. 'Charlie Porter' will surely inspire the next generation of young trumpeters, and some of us older ones too. Bravo Charlie!"
- Wayne Bergeron
"An album as inventive as this, and as full to bursting with sparkling performances from Porter and some of Portland’s best, deserves such deep listening and return engagement"
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- Robert Ham
SHOWS
BIO
"...one of the most brilliant and imaginative contemporary composers of mainstream jazz."
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- Chicago Jazz Magazine
"Porter's playing is fluid, expressive, and magnificent"
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- DownBeat Magazine
"Porter's excellent stylish playing draws you in; you hang on each note"
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- Palm Beach Post
"Fiery and intelligent"
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- Wynton Marsalis
"Unorthodox and sophisticated"
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- Oregon Artswatch
Grammy Award-winning multi-genre trumpeter and composer Charlie Porter first cut his teeth on the New York jazz scene in the late ’90s, while simultaneously studying classical trumpet performance at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of famed trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis.
Though he has recorded many albums as a side-musician, Porter has recorded three albums to date, as a leader, that have been garnering high praise, with three more to be released in 2024 (Live at Blue Llama, Cipher, and Portland Sketches). His 2019 release Immigration Nation was voted one of the best albums of the year by DownBeat.
Charlie has toured the world as a side-man and band-leader in jazz and also as a classical soloist and chamber musician, performing and recording with many notable musicians and groups over the last twenty years ranging from jazz greats including Joe Zawinul, Winard Harper, Mike Longo, Paquito D’Rivera, Ira Sullivan, Aaron Diehl, Mike Holober, Jimmy Greene, Jay Thomas, David Berger, Charli Persip and Chuck Israels to classical artists such as Simone Dinnerstein, Sarah Chang, and Joyce DiDonato as well as world-music greats Goran Bregovic, Marcel Khalife, and Kim Duksoo, among many others. He is also a founding member of the grammy-nominated electro-acoustic Absolute Ensemble, directed by Kristjan Jarvi. Charlie’s
collaboration on opera star Joyce DoDonato’s crossover album “Songplay” earned him a Grammy Award for 2019.
Porter holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of music in jazz and classical performance. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at the Paris Conservatory. Before his college studies, he attended the Palm Beach County School of the Arts. Among many awards to his credit, Charlie was the first trumpeter to win 1st place in both the classical and jazz divisions of the National Trumpet Competition. As a composer, he has been commissioned by Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Foundation.
Some of Charlie’s most influential music mentors have included George Davis, Tony York, Sy Pryweller, Randy Sonntag, Wayne Miller, Raymond Mase, Mark Gould, Guy Touvron, Laurie Frink and Cecil Bridgewater.
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Mr. Porter is currently an adjunct professor of trumpet at New York University.
