Vids › The Weirdness, Part 1

Gregory Porter – Puttin' On The Ritz

2015

1.9K Likes

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Best comments

1.“Gregory Porter is a fucking god.”

More comments

2.“The music and video are great. Don't need all the comments full of F-words!!! (Please grow up and wash out your mouths, folks!)”

The story

Gregory Porter came to jazz the long way around. He grew up in Bakersfield, California, the son of a minister, and went to San Diego State on a football scholarship as a lineman until a shoulder injury ended that plan. Good trade. His album Liquid Spirit won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2014, cracked the UK top 10 (rare air for a jazz record) and went gold in Britain.

This one started as a snack commercial. Puttin' On The Ritz is Irving Berlin's old standard, and in 2015 Ritz hired Porter to re-record it for a campaign launching a new baked snack called Ritz Crisp & Thin. The ad agency Mother London made this lyric video for the full recording. The track also turned up as a bonus on a special edition of Liquid Spirit, billed there as a tribute to Fred Astaire.

A big baritone, an Irving Berlin tune and the snack aisle. Stranger things have sold crackers.

Jazz

In my playlists

The Weirdness, Part 1 · #49

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