Life

Dr Porter studied at the University of Rochester

University of Rochester

The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...

, followed by Master's degrees from Northeastern University and Tufts University and a doctorate in Musicology from Brandeis University

Brandeis University

Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...

.

He is a Professor of Music at Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

, where he founded and still directs the world's first jazz history program, the Master's Program in Jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 History and Research.
He also accepts private students in person and via Skype.

Porter performs frequently on piano and synthesizer with many noted artists. For example, he can be seen on Youtube performing with Dave Liebman, Bela Fleck, Don Byron, Dave King and others. He has released two CDs as a leader, "Second Voyage" (04/01/2002) and "Italian Encounter" (09/01/2007), on the Altrisuoni label, and two as co-leader, Transformation (keyboard duets with Marc Rossi/Altrisuoni label) and Just Four (as a member of the India/Jazz group Dharma Jazz).

Writings

Dr Porter is author of many books and articles. These include "Jazz: A Century of Change" and "Lester Young," among others.

He is best known for his biography of saxophonist John Coltrane

John Coltrane

John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...

 published in 1998 in English, and in French and Italian in 2007. Entitled John Coltrane: His Life and Music (University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 Press), the book has been endorsed by Coltrane's son Ravi Coltrane, Dan Morgenstern, Jimmy Heath, Dave Liebman, and many others.

He is the founding editor of the Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians.