Gregory Porter on his "duet" with Nat King Cole

Calling Nat King Cole as an influence on Gregory Porter would be an understatement. The vocal jazz star has just won a Grammy for his tribute album Nat 'King' Cole & Me and recently recorded a "virtual" duet version of "The Girl From Ipanema", combining Cole's original voice with Porter's, presented on the brand new Ultimate Nat King Cole compilation.

"Listening to Nat's voice on" Girl From Ipanema ", I'm struck by her swing and the complexity of her phrasing and rhythm," said Porter. uDiscover Music. "It's a party to listen to, but musically, it's really deep."

To record this exclusive duo, Porter went to the place where Cole had directed some of his most iconic recordings: Capitol Studios.

"Being here at Capitol Studios with Nat's piano is an amazing thing," says Porter. "It's his soil".

Recording with his music icon was a daunting task, but it was a challenge that Porter was more than ready to meet.

"You have to go into a recording with Nat King Cole as he's still in the room and you're communicating as two musicians," Porter says. "This recording has been around for many years, but today I felt like I had a musical conversation with Nat King Cole."

"Boy, you talk like Nat King Cole"

Porter was "bitten" for the first time by Nat King Cole at the age of six, when he recorded his own song inspired by Cole on a Playskool tape recorder. His mother pointed out that the two seemed similar and that an admiration his whole life began.

The jazz singer was fascinated by his mother's records, Nat King Cole, and by the "warmth that emanated from the speakers" and Cole's imitative voice on songs like "Nature Boy", "Pick Yourself Up" and "Smile".

"Nat's music has influenced in many ways"

Porter has spoken several times about the paternal presence that Cole has endorsed in his life. From early childhood to adolescence and adulthood, Cole's music had "an extraordinarily different meaning at every stage of my life" and grew with him. Listening to Cole's extensive discography, Porter talks about the recurring theme of Cole's music and "Nat's optimistic approach".

"Nat had the ability to sing about love and all its facets. He speaks of all forms of love, from fraternal to maternal; the lexicon of his discography is extraordinary. "

"Interpreting music in front of an audience from around the world has been a gift for me"

Although Cole's repertoire is vast, Porter explains that he chose for his duet the Brazilian jazz clbadic, bossa nova, because of its timeless character.

"In the delivery of these words by Nat, he says what every modern man means, but he does it so intelligently. It's just poetry.

When he approached such a canonical song, Porter also expressed his reluctance to tinker with a clbadic. "You do not want to put extra paint on Mona Lisa," he jokes.

This new virtual duet and its expanded reissue are among the many releases, events and programs planned to celebrate the centenary of Nat King Cole.

Cole has been dead for more than five decades, his influence is still being felt today.

"Nat is a pillar of us, culture and music from around the world," Porter said. "Letting your musical achievements fade or weaken slightly would be a big mistake. He was and is a master of music. "

Ultimate Nat King Cole Released March 15 and can be pre-ordered here.