“Somebody told me I’d be playing in a horse stable!” Gregory Porter chuckled, gesturing appreciatively around the sold-out Dome.

In his signature jazz hat, one hand in the waistcoat pocket of his shiny three-piece suit, Porter cut a calm, imposing figure.

From his rich baritone voice to his easy relationship with the crowd, the man has undeniable presence. Breathless silence fell as he stepped away from the mic to call out an unaccompanied blues holler, working with the echo from around the Dome.

Porter and his band fuse jazz and soul, alternating mellow songs of love and regret, such as Hey Laura, with thrilling up-tempo tracks like Work Song and lyrics about political resistance. I Do Not Agree, with its upright bass intro from Aaron James and dazzling saxophone solo from Yosuke Sato, was a highlight.

Pianist Chip Crawford toyed with the intro to Wolfcry, playfully working in the theme from Peter And The Wolf and a fragment of the Star Wars theme that set off a ripple of laughter among the audience.

After two standing ovations and an encore of the tender, rueful Be Good (Lion’s Song) the audience raced out to the foyer, breathlessly excited to meet the man of the hour.