Award-winning musician Jennifer Porter will release her eighth album, SUN COME AND SHINE on June 22nd, Available for pre-order May 15th. During preparation for her newest project, Porter’s transcendent songs and inimitable velvety voice attracted the attention of legendary drummer and music director Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, whose prodigious, decades-spanning body of work Jennifer had long admired. Mr. Purdie insisted that Jennifer record live with his band at his favorite studio in New Jersey. Within days, dates were set at Jankland Recordings, for the summer of 2020. A Covid-safety protocol was set up at the studio, with strict masking and social-distancing guidelines. What followed was a series of memorable adventures, with trips from Maine (where Jennifer lives) to New Jersey, squeezed in between Covid surges and self-imposed quarantines.
The stellar band assembled by Mr. Purdie included George Naha on guitar (Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave), and Wilbur Bascombe on bass (James Brown, B.B King, Bo Diddley) and Miho Nobuzane (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) who shared keyboard duties with Jennifer. Esteemed guest artists on the project include Grammy-winners Christian McBride and Cindy Cashdollar and Grammy nominees, Ron Paparozzi and Jennifer’s friend, C.J. Chenier. On several songs, the band was joined by horn players Steve Jankowski (Blood Sweat And Tears, Chicago) and Tom Timko (Blood Sweat And Tears, Tower Of Power).
SUN COME AND SHINE includes ten songs, nine of them originals by Jennifer. The album was mixed by the talented Jonathan Wyman, and mastered by multiple Grammy-winner Adam Ayan. SUN COME AND SHINE will be released under Porter’s own label, Cougar Moon Music.
Jennifer is the winner of the 2019 Independent Music Network Award for Best Female Crossover Artist, the 2020 We Are The Music Makers Award for Best Roots / Blues / Americana album, and a 2015 Independent Music Awards nominee for best Jazz With Vocals album. Her song, Road to Redemption, from her 2018 album, THESE YEARS, hit #1 on National Indie Radio, and the Independent Music Network’s, New Music Weekly’s, and National Radio Hits’ Country charts.
