George Porter Jr. is a man who knows funk. A vital part of the New Orleans scene for decades, Porter never fails to deliver his patented bass grooves, regardless of who joins him for a jam. Whether it’s The Meters, his own band The Runnin’ Pardners, or any of the countless “super jam” sessions in which he’s participated, it’s always a good time when George Porter Jr. is in town.
With those funky tones in mind, we couldn’t resist getting Porter involved with some of the funky jams we’re putting together for the coming months. Porter is featured with some heavy hitters on the Fool’s Paradise and NOLA Crawfish Festival lineups, including the Chris Robinson Soul Revue at Fool’s and the Crawfish Fest All-Stars down in New Orleans. The master of the jam tells us how he approaches these collaborations.
“When I play with anyone, I hone in on the groove. I get myself in the pocket that the drummer is playing and I try and make what I play as close as possible. The two of us need to be like one. But it’s not the drummer that needs to be thinking like me, it’s me that needs to be thinkin’ like them.” He continues, “I always depend on my ears as my greatest asset. Y’know, I listen really well. I’m not big headed enough to think I can play anything, but I’ll sure as hell try!”
We’re certainly excited for his set at Fool’s Paradise, held in St. Augustine, FL from April 1-2. At Fool’s, Porter is paired with luminaries like Chris Robinson, Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk), Nikki Glaspie (Nth Power), Eric Krasno (Soulive/Lettuce), Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Circles Around The Sun), Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce) and Ryan Zoidis (Lettuce). A similar group performed at Bear Creek not too long ago, and the result was one of the funkiest sets ever recorded.
The inaugural Fool’s Paradise is hosted by one of the hottest funk bands around, Lettuce. Porter couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of their festival. ” I like what they’re doin’, absolutely!” He continued, “I’ve played several times with them. I sat in like every time there with them at Bear Creek, and a couple times on Jam Cruise. Yeah, I like everybody in the band. I love Adam [Deitch], he’s a wonderful player. And Kraz, I like playin’ with Kraz a lot.” With all of those talented musicians at the same place, we had to know if there was any chance for a sit-in. “I’m positive there’ll be some jammin’!”
The collaborations don’t end at Fool’s Paradise, because just a few weeks later, Porter will headline the NOLA Crawfish Festival from April 25-27, nestled during the “Daze Between” weekends of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. “I don’t play like this, two or three gigs a day, anywhere else in the world. Only in New Orleans.” It’s certainly a magical time, often producing some of the most memorable performances.
At NOLA Crawfish Festival, he’ll be part of the first-ever Crawfish Fest All-Stars band, featuring Billy Iuso, Terence Higgins, Dave Malone, and special guest Anders Osborne. “We always call Billy the bandleader,” he quips, before revealing the offhand way these Jazz Fest-week jam sessions get finalized. “After we dig into the crawfish for an hour or so, after everybody has had their fill, we’ll all get together and figure out what we’re gonna play.  Someone will say ‘Hey, this is what song we oughta play’ and somebody else will say ‘Well how ’bout this one.’ That’s just how it gets done.”
With such professional musicians coming from the storied musical tradition of New Orleans, this is undoubtedly going to be one funky jam. But the festival offers more than music, as the Crawfish King himself, Chris “Shaggy” Davis, will be serving thousands of pounds of crawfish for those in attendance. “I’m not sure if there is someone else out there that’s doin’ crawfish as good as Shaggy,” Porter tells us. “Gettin’ together…elbow to elbow…pickin’ the crawfish outta the the pile and suckin’ the heads and eatin’ the tails…that’s just what we do good.”
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Certainly food is a vital part of New Orleans culture, but it always goes hand in hand with music. For Porter, when push comes to shove, it’s all about the jam. “If everybody is payin’ attention, it’s very easy for the jam to turn on a dime. Sometimes everybody goes exploring together.” He continues, “People need to feel comfortable, they get a chance to make their statement, to say what they want to say and pass it on to the next person to speak. Everyone is allowed to have a voice in the jam. When respect is given, when one person is not tryin’ step over everybody and wants to be seen more than anybody…it works.”
George Porter Jr. is featured on both the Fool’s Paradise and NOLA Crawfish Festival lineups, laying down his grooving bass lines in style. More information about Fool’s Paradise, which also includes Lettuce, GRiZ, Vulfpeck, Nth Power, Cory Henry, Goldfish, Marvel Years and more, can be found here. Similarly, more information about the NOLA Crawfish Fest can be found here.