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Larry Porter
Larry Porter is an adept in the music of both East and West. As a jazz pianist, his playing pays homage to the history of the music, from ragtime through post-bop and into the future. As a rebab player, Porter has been hailed as "...without a doubt one of the best of his generation" by the US-based Afghan magazine, Lemar-Aftaab (http://www.afghanmagazine.com/april2000/music/larry/index.html). In both spheres Porter's compositions, renditions, and improvisations portray multi-dimensional visionary soundscapes conveying the depth and breadth of emotions that encompass the human experience. He is also involved in projects integrating aspects of jazz and other Western music forms with Afghan, Central Asian, and Indian music.
Larry Porter's jazz credentials are impeccable. Porter began taking piano lessons at the age of six. His studies included stints at Eastman School of Music and Berklee College of Music. Since then he has lived and worked in New York City, Munich, Barcelona, and Berlin, where he currently lives. Over the years he has played with such major figures in the music as Thad Jones and Archie Shepp, including extended periods with Chet Baker and Art Farmer. Porter has also had wide-ranging work with such world-class singers as Sheila Jordan and Mark Murphy. He has made numerous records as a side-man and under his own name. Larry has successfully lead trios and quartets, including the legendary Porter - Praskin Quartet. He excels in composing and arranging for such small groups, but his writing range extends to include vocal and chamber music, along with works for solo piano and big band. He is also an accomplished lyricist, integrating appropriately affective words into his expressive compositions.
On his arrival in Afghanistan during his 1976 journey through Asia, Larry was captivated by the music of "...a land where music still truly reflects the soul of the people". He was particularly entranced by the rebab with its mellow resonance and contrasting percussive quality. The rebab is a short-necked lute with 18 strings. It is a traditional instrument of Afghanistan and the surrounding area, and is the precursor of the sarod. In Persian, the first vowel is not written, giving rise to a variety of Western spellings, including rabab, robab, rubab, and rhubab. The name stems from ru = soul, and bab = gateway - the instrument and its music are truly a gateway to the soul. During his stay in Afghanistan, Larry was the student of Ustad Mohammed Omar, acknowledged as the greatest rebab master of his time and the foremost proponent of the Afghan classical style.
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"This project points the way towards reconciliation and cultural exchange between two peoples who are so desperately in need of mutual understanding." -The Embassy of Afghanistan, Berlin
Primary Instrument
Piano
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Photos
Music
Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson