Legendary bassist George Porter Jr., has kept grooving into his 70s and shows few signs of letting up. His new album Porter’s Pocket represents something of a return to Porter’s roots, with eight instrumental tracks that showcase different aspects of the New Orleans style funk that he helped pioneer in the 1960s and 1970s. It’s a timeless sound that has remained in demand in the 21st century, keeping Porter busy.
As a founding member of the Meters in 1965, Porter and bandmates Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli and Joseph Zigaboo Modeliste became one of the most influential bands in music history. The quartet’s infectious syncopated grooves with deep pockets from the rhythm section of Porter and Modeliste made the Meters into trailblazers of the modern funk genre. Porter’s contributions also garnered him a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018
“Before there was ‘funk’ as people call it, New Orleans musicians always had a way of using rhythm in a way nobody else was,” Porter recently explained to Color Red Music. “I am just a student of Earl King and George French and that musical school and somewhere along the way, people out there decided it was ‘funk.'”
The Meters would become the house band for Allen Toussaint‘s label in New Orleans, backing the likes of Dr. John, Lee Dorsey, Earl King, Paul McCartney and Patty Labelle. The Meters also backed Robert Palmer on his 1974 debut solo album Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley.
The title track received a dance party revival when Phish added it to their repertoire in the late 1990s. This tribute would go full circle when keyboardist Page McConnell later played a handful of gigs with Porter, Nocentelli and Modeliste billed as the Meter Men. The Meters’ incalculable influence was also felt in the hip-hop world, with their grooves sampled by artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC, N.W.A., and Queen Latifah.
Backed by his current quartet lineup, the Runnin’ Pardners, Porter’s Pocket naturally features the rhythm section of George Porter Jr. and drummer Terence Houston laying down the funky grooves for melodic explorations from keyboardist Mike Lemmler and guitarist Chris Adkins.
“A lot of the foundations of these songs were drum and bass pockets we made up on stage at our Monday night Maple Leaf shows that we went back and revisited in the studio,” Porter noted in a press release, referring to the “Monday Funkday” residency the group has had going at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans since 2015.
“Tito’s Dumpling Machine” starts with a classic style deep pockets, funky guitar comping, and bold Hammond organ out front and center. The sound is crisp and the band is loose. “Proteins and Carbohydrates” is a little more laid back, but still groovy with piano instead of organ and some jazzy lead guitar from Adkins. Listeners might suddenly find themselves craving a Sazerac or an Abita Ale from Louisiana. “Sauce on the Side” features a chilled out vibe, like the sonic equivalent of a smokey barbecue sauce incorporating swing and reggae elements.
“Buttermilk” cranks up the energy with some bluesy funk where the Hammond organ stands out again. The tight beat makes George Porter Jr.’s bass pop, then there’s a section where Houston lays back on the cymbals in jazzy fashion as the bass seems to solo alongside the organ before they pass the baton for some nifty guitar riffage. “Don Julio Rides Again” keeps the festive flavor going with an upbeat boogaloo groove that recalls the Greyboy Allstars, one of many 1990s groups immensely influenced by the Meters. Porter puts on a clinic here with his pulsing low end, setting up Lemmler and Adkins to go off on organ and guitar.
“See Me? See Me? See Me?” brings the tempo down a notch, but keeps grooving as all four players seem to explore the pocket together. The rhythm section is front and center on “Gangs in Alamosa”, a mid-tempo groove with artful sonic spacing. “Latenighter” feels like a perfect encore at the end of one of those “Monday Funkday” sets at the Maple Leaf, with a simmering sound that conjures a spacey late night blues vibe for last call.
Porter’s Pocket is a solid instrumental affair. However, George Porter Jr. & the Runnin’ Pardners will mix up those instrumentals with dynamic vocal numbers in the live setting. The New Year’s Eve performance at the packed Venice West club in Venice, California on 31 December 2024 was a vibrant event with Porter’s exuberant vocals energizing the set as much as his groovy bass lines. Tunes like the Meters’ classic “Cissy Strut” had dynamic instrumental power, but a rocking jam out of left field on Stephen Stills’ “Love the One You’re With” with spirited vocals from Porter was a big hit on the dance floor too.
“Funky With You” was another highlight with Porter singing about how all they want to do is get funky tonight to summarize the evening’s festive vibe. Midnight would pass without much fanfare over an “Iko Iko” style groove, but the group cranked up the energy level in a big way on “I Get High”. Porter led the quartet through a fiercely inspiring groove as he sang about affection for his lady, with some smoking lead guitar and psychedelic “Fly Like an Eagle” style keyboard psychedelia on the outro jam. A hot romp through the Meters’ “Africa” provided a big finish, as Porter ensured the new year got off to a funky start.
George Porter Jr.’s Porter’s Pocket helps infuse further funk into this foul year, providing a noble service at a time when the US can use all the good vibes it can get as the oligarchs who have seized the White House wage their class war on the 99 percent. Music can serve as spiritual fuel for resistance though, as the late great gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson often alluded in his savage takedowns of the Nixon regime. Keep it groovy America!