by Paul Bowers
While performing last year at the Autumn International Music Festival in Prague, jazz singer and bandleader Gregory Porter gave a tantalizing explanation for his song "Magic Cup," a sultry number off of his 2010 debut album Water: "Either it's about coffee, or it's about a woman. I don't know, actually."
But listening to the way Porter belts out the lyrics — and the way saxophonist Yosuke Sato squeals his way through the solo — it's obvious which one he's referring to. "You're a good time/ Make me feel nice," Porter groans. "You are a perfect mix in the morning/ With sugar and spice." Nobody gets this worked up over coffee.
In an age when few taboos remain, Porter chooses to exercise a little restraint. The result is a throwback of a song, full of double-entendres and leaving listeners to wonder what he really means by "grinding beans and steaming cream."
"Unfortunately, it's not so popular today because people just kind of want to tell you right to your face exactly what it is they're talking about: 'Put your leg on me,'" Porter says, speaking by phone from Brooklyn. "But I'm always intrigued by the clever type of writing that was in the '40s through the '70s. They're saying some of the things you can say today, but they did it in a cleverly crafted way, and they used the full spectrum of the words out there to express an emotion or a feeling of desire."
Read more: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/singer-gregory-porter-charms-the-jazz-world/Content?oid=4634989
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