Dexter Porter

Review: “Standards” are the life blood of jazz vocalists. The great catalog of songs that are recognized after one stanza gives jazz stylists a seemingly bottomless vat of material to draw from and make their own. And it’s the “make their own” that’s a tricky part – I mean just how many different ways can one sing “Autumn Leaves” and remain unique. The stylist needs to take a song that we all make their own without warping it into an unrecognizable ego-trip. Dexter Porter’s debut album “Crazy She Calls Me” contains ten tracks from the great American songbook. Dexter manages to put his unique styling to each number opening with Roger & Hart’s “Have You Met Miss Jones,” closing with Fred Rogers' “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” with a trip along “Route 66” and a meal of “Shoofly Pie” in between. I never thought I’d hear Mr. Rogers on a jazz album – that guy in the cardigan sure could swing. When Dexter Porter sings, the lyrics are featured center stage, and while he does put his stamp on each of the efforts, he has such an apparent respect for the original material that he allows the song to remain the focus of his performance. He created the CD with three excellent trios (all featuring piano, bass, and drums) which might have made for an uneven effort, but in this CD, it allowed him to demonstrate his musical dexterity (sorry for the pun) from a swinging version of Bobby Troup’s “Route 66” to a bossa nova-like version of Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me.” In the latter effort he sings the verse before effortlessly segueing into his Latin-rhythm interpretation of the classic song. Dexter possesses an extremely mellow (I mean that in the best sense of the word) baritone voice that just seems to wrap itself around any tune he’s performing. According to his biography, friends had urged Dexter to change his focus from musical theatre and television in New York to a career as a jazz vocali

– Tom Schaefer

Dexter Porter has sung in my home, both ballads and jazz, to the great enjoyment of my guests. I think he is talented and charming.

– Barbara Walters

I have had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Dexter Porter perform, and I am happy to state that he is one of the most talented jazz singers I have met. I recommend him highly for any work that concerns his musicianship, and please feel free to call me should you have any questions. I can be reached at City Hall in New York City at 212-788-3046.

– Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

CD Reviews: Dexter Porter “Crazy She Calls Me” Posted by: editoron Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 07:06 PM By: Edward Blanco Once in a while one comes across a gem of an album that seems to grab your attention and keeps it till the end. Such is the case with jazz vocalist Dexter Porter’s debut release, Crazy She Calls Me. Offering smooth and elegant interpretations of ten wonderful standards and covers, Porter delivers a riveting performance with a unique style and voice very similar to that of the great contemporary jazz singer, Allan Harris. Porter records the set with three different rhythm trios. Half of the tracks include Yayoi Ikawa (piano), Yoski Waki (bass) and Noel Paris (drums). The last four tunes were recorded with Joe Kaplowitz (piano), Gavin Fallow (bass) and Kyle Strube (drums). The Gershwin number “Someone To Watch Over Me” included David Marck (piano), Jim Donica (bass) and Noel Paris (drums). The music is just terrific and immediately evident right from the beginning cut “Have You Met Miss Jones.” Arranged as a beautiful ballad, the singer provides one of his best performances complete with a string section background. The Hart & Rogers love ballad “My Romance,” is voiced in a very jazzy fashion and includes some nice piano work by Ikawa. The pace quickens with the Bobby Troup classic “Route 66,” in one of the brassy numbers. Porter sings with emotion on the famous Gillespie & Coots sensuous ballad “You Go To My Head.” In stark contrast to the many ballads, Porter swings and has some fun on the title cut that enjoys exciting musical support by the band. The other notable standard containing a beautiful arrangement with strings is the time-honored “What A Difference A Day Makes.” An enchanting and entertaining session of light, soft and beautiful jazz voiced by a new baritone wonder destined to make a mark. Crazy She Calls Me is an impressive debut containing a compelling performance by Mr. Port

– Edward Blanco

Dexter Porter has selected some fine tunes for his album, to wit: "Have You Met Miss Jones" A slow tempo plus a fine vocal are the definitive ingredients of this song. Three different trios are used by Porter (on this CD) and all are top notch. Up tempo time and "Route 66" swings nicely with Porter's best vocal. A splendid piano solo adds a lot of spice to this hot number. "Shoo Fly Pie" is the type of tune that reverbs through one's mind and Dexter Porter lifts it to new heights. Again a fine piano solo. It did my heart good to hear this oldie again. Dexter Porter does a fine job with some excellent tunes and three solid trios. 5 Stars

– John Gilbert