Tagged: Reese Erlich

The upstairs room at an old plantation house on the Caribbean island of Curacao was insufferably hot. But jazz vocalist Gregory Porter was cool and collected, even while wearing his trademark winter cap. Known for his silky smooth voice and socially conscious lyrics, Porter has reason to be confident. His first album, “Water,” garnered critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination for the 2010 Best Vocal Jazz album. This February, he released his second album, “Be Good.” And now, he’s in the Caribbean to perform at the annual Curacao Jazz Festival.

Singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli learned to play at the knee of his famous jazz musician father, Bucky Pizzarelli. But as a teen growing up in the 1970s, John was far more interested in Peter Frampton and the rock band Cream than in Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of Paris. John had a real talent for jazz guitar, however, and he joined his dad in playing club dates around the New York/New Jersey area. Pizzarelli recalls his father saying that he “was the only guy playing jazz to support his rock and roll habit. All the guys had it the other way around.”