When alto saxophonist/composer Art Porter left this mortal plane as a result of a Thailand boating accident on November 23, 1996, we lost an irreplaceable musical spirit too soon. As untimely as death always is, the premature passing away of Art Porter silenced a unique instrumental voice. In commemoration of his special genius, Verve Forecast has assembled a tribute album, For Art's Sake. A compilation of unreleased studio tracks and live performances, For Art's Sake is a celebration of Art's boundless jazz joi de vivre.

As any fan will tell you, Art's irrepressible spirit always gained full-flight on stage, his true metier. For Art's Sake's five live tracks (recorded at the North Sea Jazz Festival, July 14, 1996) memorably captures the essence of Art Porter as he digs deep and mines fresh golden grooves in some of his most popular tunes. Inspired by his band and the audience, Art gleefully soars through sunny skies on "Flight Time", funkily bops to the hard-edged grooves of "Texas Hump", and soulfully licks the sweet brown sugar of "Passion Sunrise". The studio tracks, from the jazz-hop of "Pocket City" (remix) to the familial warmth of "The Christmas Song", are equally compelling. This rare artist draws you deeply into his soul.

Raised in Little Rock, AK, Art began sitting in with his father, Art Sr.'s, jazz trio from the age of nine. At sixteen, he attended the Berklee School of Music for a semester, then transferred to Northeastern Illinois University. Upon graduation, Porter moved to Chicago. By his mid-twenties, he was an established musician with a residency at the Cotton Club and successive tour gigs with Jack McDuff, Pharoah Sanders, Gene Chandler, and After 7.

A player grounded in the earthy gestalts of Charlie Parker and Gene Ammons, Porter found his groove in the ouevres of Grover Washington, Jr. and Ronnie Laws. When he burst onto the scene with his 1992 Verve Forecast debut, Pocket City, it was a gust of fresh air that parted the formulaic curtains of urban and NAC radio. Eschewing the neo-jazz pop moods of both Najee and Kenny G., Pocket City was a prescient blend of hard-core bop and soulful strut that immediately created its own niche (Contemporary Jazz Top 5; Gavin, R&R, Billboard Top 10/R&B Top 200). From that point, it was off to the races. Each of his subsequent releases for Verve Forecast - Straight To The Point (1993), Undercover (1994), Lay Your Hands On Me (1996) - was a progressively revelatory sojourn for his ever-expanding coterie of fans.

As good as his records were, Porter's ascending star was propelled by his incredibly dynamic live performances. On stage, he was cool and charismatic, pumping up his band, blowing sheets of funky sounds, dancing, smiling, laughing. Joining up with Jeff Lorber and Will Downing for the groundbreaking 1993 "Hot Autumn Nights" tour, Porter gained a new audience through his galvanic performances as a leader and as a sideman.

From that point, Art Porter went from being a cherished semi-secret to being a widely respected mainstream presence, with a firm and loyal fan base. In addition to headlining gigs in the US, he became a perennial favorite on the European jazz circuit, performing consistently at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, as well as scoring TV spots on both cable and network programs, from BET on Jazz to The Conan O'Brian Show. By mid-1996, Art Porter was on a serious roll with the high-charting Lay Your Hands On Me and a triumphant gig at Holland's North Sea Jazz Festival.

Whether you knew Art Porter and his music well or not at all, For Art's Sake will righteously rock your world.