After the Gospel According to Nick Cave, we listened to Gregory Porter's engaged jazz-gospel

Grammy-winning artist Gregory Porter brought his distinctive blend of jazz and gospel to Opatija's Summer Stage, treating an audience of around 1,200 to a night of profound musical expression. This performance followed his acclaimed concert with the Zagreb Philharmonic last winter, returning to a more intimate band format.

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Although at first glance it seems that Porter's case is a fluid soul-jazz revue that suits the summer season, his songs with themes of social and racial issues, or poverty and losers, are not really an example of summer escapism.

While Porter's music often evokes a soulful, summery vibe, his lyrical content delves into significant social and racial issues, poverty, and the struggles of the marginalized. Songs like 'Musical Genocide' and 'Take Me to the Alley' presented themes far removed from lighthearted summer escapism, yet they were delivered with such musical brilliance that they captivated the audience.

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Porter's voice is not just 'beautiful,' but sounds 'true,' lived-in, and authentic.

Porter's voice, described as both 'beautiful' and 'truthful,' resonated with authenticity, supported by a highly skilled band. The concert, lasting an hour and 45 minutes, earned enthusiastic ovations after each instrumental solo, demonstrating that Porter's music transcends genre boundaries and speaks directly to listeners regardless of their background in jazz or festival-going.

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Ovation after every instrumental bravura from the beginning of the concert clearly showed that to understand and feel this music, philosophy or a jazz festival is not needed, but that every normal audience understands it, like the one in Opatija, which is ready to enjoy a first-class program of an hour and 45 minutes.

The performance in Opatija also drew comparisons to Nick Cave's recent concert, noting how both artists engage with religious themes, albeit from different perspectives. Porter, rooted in the American jazz and gospel tradition, transformed the venue into a space reminiscent of Harlem's Apollo Theater during numbers like 'On My Way to Harlem,' concluding with a rendition of Sly and the Family Stone's 'Free / Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' as a gesture of gratitude to the audience.

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It was interesting to listen to Porter's jazz-gospel in Opatija just the evening after the gospel according to Nick Cave in the Pula Arena, as both deal partly with religious themes, but in different ways.