When the owners of Porter's Jazz
Cafe' began looking for a new venue to locate their
establishment the initial thought was to open a street
level cafe to serve the lunchtime crowd in downtown
Little Rock. What they soon discovered in the vacant
building at 315 Main Street was a trap door leading to
an underground treasure. It looked as though the place
just closed one night for business in 1949 and never
bothered to reopen. Here was a club with everything
intact from tin ceilings, French art deco furnishings, a
bandstand, and a hint of gardenia in the air. The only
thing missing was the name this place used to be. The
old-timers we asked didn't seem to know anything about
it except the rumors of underground tunnels beneath the
city.
You'll find Porter's to be a great addition to Little
Rock nightlife with live music in the evenings and
weekly open mic night. Porter's harkens back to a
period when music was great and jazz was cutting edge.
Whether you're a fan of Cole, Art, Junior or Waggoner,
make us your destination and not your second thought!
That's what Porter's is all about. We hope you let us
share it with you.
Most recent,
the owners purchased the "Rocco Chandelier" that was
obtained from the Doyle Auction House in New York City.
Item was owned by Lena Horne. The "Rocco Chandelier" can
be seen in the cafe.
House Band
Members:
Michael Bartlett - Guitar
Born
in East Texas and raised in a home where every family
member played several instruments, Michael Bartlett was
introduced to vast and eclectic genres of music--from
Classical to Bluegrass, Jazz to Gospel. Michael's father
bought him his first drum set around the age of 7 and
began teaching him. Percussion made the most sense, as a
drummer was needed in the household (his mother played
piano, father played bass and guitar, and three
sisters--tenor sax, alto sax, and trumpet).
It wasn't until the age of 14 that
Michael discovered the guitar. He spent the next 12
years of his life playing in bands that spanned from
Country to Soul/R&B with quite a bit of Rock in the
middle. In 1995, he picked up a copy of the Miles Davis
album, Kind Of Blue and something happened: "By the end
of Cannonball's solo on Flamenco Sketches, I was
literally in tears" Michael said. "I was touched so
deeply that I knew there was no turning back. I had
reconnected to some of the music I heard as child that
had made the strongest impact on me."
Michael spent the next 15 years learning the language of
Jazz and predominately playing it. Although he remains
true and respectful to the spirit of his influences (Wes
Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Jimmy Bruno, Barney Kessel),
there is a singular passion in his playing that is
sometimes lost in the standards. Even the great Jimmy
Bruno once commented on Michael's performance, "I always
look forward to hearing you. You have a fire in your
playing and it sounds good to me."
