IN what’s a real coup for live music in Poole, Grammy Award-winning jazz-soul singing sensation Gregory Porter is to make his first appearance at the Lighthouse tonight.

With only a handful of seats left,this is sure to sell-out.

Fresh from a storming set at Glastonbury last summer and riding high in the UK singles charts last year as the featured vocalist on British dance duo Disclosure’s hit Holding On, Gregory is very much the man of the moment.

The show at Lighthouse is part of a 16-date tour in support of Liquid Spirit, which went straight into the top ten on its release in 2013 and has been in the UK album charts ever since – more than 80 weeks – being certified gold in this country alone. It is the most streamed jazz album of all time.

The jazz musician is set to release his new album Take Me To The Alley on May 6, featuring the song Fan The Flames – a “homage to non-violent protest”.

Gregory has said that protests about alleged police violence and racism in Ferguson were on his mind as he created his new album.

Gregory says: “So I wrote this song in direct response to what I was seeing as I was in Germany, as I was in the UK. I was looking at the situation from afar, and was moved emotionally.”

Gregory, 44, added: “A song like Fan The Flames, it’s not about fanning the flames of violent protest, it’s about fanning the flames of love.”

The US musician pointed towards jazz’s long history of using the political, social and racial environment for inspiration with artists such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

n For tickets contact Lighthouse, Poole on 01202 280000 or visit lighthousepoole.co.uk