Art Porter, Jr.

Art Porter Jr. ( born in 1961 in Little Rock, † November 23, 1996 in Bangkok ) was an American saxophonist of smooth jazz and son of pianist Art Porter senior.

Art Porter grew up in Little Rock and was encouraged in his musical education from his father, pianist and music teacher Art Porter Sr.. At age 16, he began a one-year study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, which he continued at Virginia Commonwealth University. There he studied with Ellis Marsalis. In 1992 he moved to Chicago, where he completed his studies with a bachelor's degree from Northeastern Illinois University and master's degree from Roosevelt University. Mentors in Chicago were Von Freeman and James Leary. After his return to Little Rock, he worked with his father and later, inter alia, with Jack McDuff, Pharoah Sanders, Gene Chandler and the pop group After 7, 1991, he received a recording contract with Verve Records; with the label released five albums. He also participated in recordings of Jeff Lorber, Tom Grant, and Ramsey Lewis. He died in November 1996 in Bangkok in a boating accident.

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