Stephanie Porter Proves The Song Is Her

By T in a Po t t e r f

Seattle area chanteuse Stephanie Porter can to pursue in earnest her passion for music. A “Blues in the N ight” and “Daddy-O.” Rather co m m a n d a stage w ith a p lo m b , w h e th e r p la y­ few years later, she got her first professional (and than parrot the original, Porter infuses a style ing an intim ate piano bar or a large-scale jazz steady) gig performing M onday nights at Tula’s, and soulfulness all her own, and demonstrates festival. the Seattle hotspot and known hangout for lo­ her finesse whether executing up-tempo or The soft-spoken, once painfully shy singer cal jazz artists and th e ir fans. A lth o u g h she was down-tempo numbers. w ith the powerful, but controlled, voice can new on the scene when she began performing “I've never tried to emulate any one style,” hold her own with the best of them— which at Tula’s, Porter was embraced by established Porter says. “ I try to p u t heart in to m y so u n d .” explains her impressive repertoire that includes musicians from the outset. She credits such no­ W ith an old-soul style that undulates from collaborations with noted trumpeter Lance tables as Brian Nova and Tula’s owner Elliot sultry to smoldering, Porter injects M ood Swings B u lle r and his group the M onarchs, bassist D a n “ M a c k ” W a ld ro n fo r show ing her the ropes and w ith a sensuality and freshness that belies the O'Brien, baritone saxo­ true age of the material. The al­ phonist Bill Ramsay, and bum is a strong showcase for jazz guitarist/vocalist Brian Porter's pure voice, at turns Nova. breathy and breezy, to her range W ith an affinity for the as an artist comfortable tackling standards and legendary big, bold songs. songmakers and singers— In the liner notes of M o o d from Irving Berlin and S w in g s , friend and revered pro­ Cole Porter to Frank Sinatra ducer, composer, and jazz critic and the inimitable Ella Harvey Siders writes of Porter's so­ Fitzgerald (who Porter says phistication as a singer and her has “a voice that can rock command of the material: “The yo u to sleep”)— Porter has very first word of the very first built a solid fan base w ith track ‘Cheek to Cheek' reveals her signature take o n tim e ­ Stephanie's gentle seduction as less songs made fam ous by she fairly whispers ‘Heaven...' a who's w h o o f A m e rica n over the kind of bossa nova cush­ singer-songwriters. ion Ms. Porter loves. One of “ I love Sarah Vaughan, Stephanie's strengths is explod­ Sinatra, Nat King Cole— ing from the release of an up the heavy hitters,” Porter tune, allowing her to gain new says. “ I love the classics.” m o m e n tu m and sw in g .” A t 32, Porter has been For Porter, the chance to per­ a professional singer for more than a decade, enabling opportunities to hone her craft. “The form and collaborate and learn from musicians liv in g o u t a dream she first envisioned as a child. Seattle m usic scene has been very k in d to m e ,” she admires is about living out a dream that To hear Porter talk about her shyness as a she says. “ I ’ve had so m any great artists encour­ reared itself in her youth. Gone is the shy girl. youth— a reticence that recoiled when singing age me and hire me.” In her place is a confident singer w ith a long w ith her family over spaghetti dinners-cum-jam W hile Porter is gaining recognition for her career ahead. sessions, but otherwise went unabated— is to spin on the standards, she is undoubtedly “I can't imagine not doing this,” Porter says. measure h o w far she's come. known to a different set of nightclub crawlers “I hope music is something I can do the rest of “ I feel blessed. As a ch ild I always dreamed o f for her stint as a singer w ith the popular disco m y life .” th is ,” Porter says. “A n d som ehow it ju s t clicked. club group H it Explosion. It was during this Stephanie Porter w illperform live August7at [Singing] brought me out of my shell. It's al­ tim e th a t Porter began sin gin g w ith B u lle r and 8pm a t the K irkland Perform ing ArtsCenter, A u­ most therapeutic. I can let emotions out and collaborating live— the two routinely play to­ gust 12 at The Triple D oor(w ith B rian Nova), express myself through song.” gether at Jazzbones in Tacoma— and in the stu­ andAugust13andSeptember4atthe Ste. Michelle Porter’s first taste of singing live came at 18, dio. Buller is among an impressive lineup of W in e ry (a ls o w ith B r ia n N o v a ). when her sister gently nudged her to perform a musicians that includes Dan O ’Brien, pianist couple songs at what was then the popular res­ Craig Hoyer, and trombonist Gary Shutes who ta u ra n t and p ia no bar S orry C h a rlie ’s. T h e m o ­ back Porter on her first full-length C D , M o o d m e n t proved serendipitous fo r Porter, w h o had S w ings. the mettle to get on stage and the m ight as a O n the fluid and rich album, Porter pays performer to w in over an audience of strangers. homage to the artists th a t inspire h e r— in c lu d - “A n d I've been doing m usic ever since,” she says. ing Berlin and Porter— by recording such stan­ The experience was the impetus for Porter dards as “Cheek to Cheek,” “Get O ut of Town,”