Gregory Porter, Lalah Hathaway, und Jamison Ross

Gregory Porter was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. A 1989 graduate of Highland High School, his path was originally leading to a career in sports after Porter gained an athletic scholarship to San Diego State University. However after incurring a shoulder injury during his junior year of high school, his football career was not to be.

Porter instead began recording music influenced by his adoration for blues, soul and gospel. His debut album 'Water' was released in 2010 via Motéma Music and gained the singer/songwriter a nomination for Best Jazz Vocal album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. During this time Porter was performing as part of the original Broadway cast of 'It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'. The second album 'Be Good' was released in 2012 and following his notoriety from critics, it achieved moderate chart success across Europe. Once again critics adored Porter's blues/jazz sound and he picked up his second Grammy nomination, this time for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the album's title track.

The third album 'Liquid Spirit' was released in 2013 after he signed a contract with Blue Note Records (Universal Music Group) and was produced by Brian Bacchus. It was a huge success worldwide, charting within the top 20 of the UK album charts, top 10 in Germany and The Netherlands and cracked the top 200 in the US. This album went on to win Gregory his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album supporting the theory 'third time lucky'.

As the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway, Lalah was destined to follow in her mother’s footsteps, through her versatile, dynamic and technically strong voice. She arrived on the music scene in 1990, with her self-titled debut album, impressing listeners right from the start. The release was a commercial success, gaining a top ten single with “Heaven Knows, which peaked at number three on the Billboard R&B charts, with the album itself peaking at number 191 on the Billboard Hot 200. This was followed by 1994’s “A Moment,” which again drew positive critical acclaim, with the album debuting at number 34 on the R&B charts.

After this initial success, Hathaway took a break from recording music, not returning until 1999, where she collaborated with legendary jazzman, Joe Sample for the GRP album, “The Song Lives On.” Into the new millennium, Hathaway released a steady stream of records, with 2004’s “Outrun the Sky” (Sanctuary Records), “Self Portrait” (2008, Stax) and “Where It All Begins” (2011, Stax). These releases continued to prompt praise from critics for Hathaway’s talent and diversity in her music, collaborating with the likes of Mike City, Rahsaan Patterson, Rex Rudest and Dre & Vidal. “Self Portrait” and “Where It All Begins” were Hathaway’s most successful releases, peaking at number 63 and number 32 respectively, in the Billboard Hot 200 Chart.

Widely regarded as on of the finest vocalists of her generation, Hathaway made the perfect choice for her collaboration with R&B/Soul outfit, Snarky Puppy. Working together on the song, “Something” in 2013, the partnership went on to secure Hathaway with her first Grammy Award, receiving the award for ‘Best R&B Performance’ at the 2014 awards.