2014. Jazz. Harlem is a mythical place, the birthplace of many African-American dreams, a cultural melting-pot, and fuel for the imagination from the Cotton Club or the Apollo Theatre all the way up to Sugarhill. Think of this neighborhood in Upper Manhattan and names like Billie Holiday, James Brown, or Jay-Z, films like Across 110th Street or American Gangster , plus Malcolm X, James Baldwin and Joe Louis will immediately come to mind. Fortunately, Harlem is not just a thing of the past, but more and more a cultural hotbed for things to come. One of the most important and popular artists to have risen to international fame from the clubs and bars in Harlem in recent years is Gregory Porter. The Grammy-winning gentleman, a giant not just of stature but of voice and soul, was discovered at St. Nick s Pub on Nicholas Avenue it is where he debuted hits like 1960 What? , where he met the members of his live-band, and where he signed his first record deal with the Harlem based label Motma records. One of the firs