Kurpark, Wiesbaden, 22 July 2025
In seeking a definition for ‘eclectic,’ I found the following – ‘deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.’
A few words which more than adequately describes the musical acts we had seen over the previous couple of weeks across Europe. From indoor arenas to inside large tents, the opulence of an opera house to darkened clubs, from a festival field to the Amphitheatre at Pompeii.
Our #RaceAcrossEurope reached its penultimate venue, The Kurpark in Wiesbaden, which was another truly stunning setting for the concert by Gregory Porter. A Concert. Not a Gig, as I am pretty sure that audience around us would be far more comfortable with that description.
Award winning Gregory Porter is not someone I’d been overly familiar with prior to buying a ticket for his show, however, listening to a few of his albums prior to and during our own tour, it was evident that he had the vocal dexterity to coax more than a little interest in what we were about to listen to.
Before Gregory took to the stage though we were, visually at least, introduced to the band who would be backing his performance – Chip Crawford on piano, the excellent tenor saxophonist Tivon Pennicott, Ondrej Pivec on Hammond organ, Jahmal Nichols on upright and electric bass and at the back of the stage, Emanuel Harrold on drums.
A few minutes to set the tone of the evening with some freeform jazz then the audience erupted in applause and cheers as Gregory casually drifted onto the stage.
Throughout the show, Gregory’s warm tone spread a calming influence across the audience, keeping them totally spellbound while the five musicians constantly kept the music flowing with many of the songs having a jam-like quality, enabling the band to take centre stage for a few minutes or more as Gregory, like the rest of the audience stood back to enjoy the musicianship on display.
Jazz clubs the world over are not about cozying up, but rather about getting the body going. Unfortunately, it was not until nearer the end of the show that the audience felt comfortable enough to engage with the promptings of the band.
Collectively, they give songs like Hey Laura, Mister Holland, and On My Way To Harlem a refreshing new take without straying too far from the original recordings for which the audience were only too familiar.
There were some familiar ‘outtakes’ from other songs that drew as much laughter as applause, with hints of Brahms and Beethoven, Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water“, the distinctive bass line of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone.”
There were also nods in the direction of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke classics here and there. In these short passages, there was an appreciation that music has many styles that can be incorporated in ways that totally make sense in the correct context.
While the whole set, including encore, seemed on the short side, that may have been a result of the enjoyment that made time go so quickly.
This was a soulful concert with jazz at its core. There is no doubting Gregory Porter to have one of the finest voices on the scene with a band who are equally adept at playing their part in a superb night.
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