Nicholas Payton

Since 1994 when Nicholas Payton made his recording debut as a leader with From This Moment, the trumpeter has been lauded as a significant, top-tier voice in jazz. Even though he started out as a “young lion of jazz,” heralded as one of the new-generation guardians of the hard bop flame, Payton consistently committed himself to discovering his voice outside of the strict confines of that rearview mirror approach to the music.

While his jazz journey has taken him down many roads"from heritage artist to electric experimenter"the 34-year-old trumpeter arrives at a new plateau of jazz maturity with Into the Blue, his ninth album and his first for Nonesuch . It’s at once a nod to the past and a leap into the future. “It’s an amalgam of every recording I’ve done up until now,” says Payton. “As a musician, as an artist, you’re always trying to zero in on the bull’s eye as a means of becoming a better version of yourself. With Into the Blue, I’ve been able to find the kind of music that’s more inclusive of all of my life. The approach and the ideas of my music have become more singular, more cohesive. I had no agenda in terms of a specific genre or style, only to be true to who I am now.”

Into the Blue is a collection of ten tunes steeped in melody and groove that Payton says “embodies the sensibilities of beauty, elegance and simplicity” and delivers “danceable tempos.” He adds, “The true staples of jazz for me"the hallmarks of the music throughout its history"are love songs and the element of dance.” In addition to seven originals that range from the funky upbeat to the melancholic slow burn, the album includes two tunes by the trumpeter’s bassist/composer father, Walter Payton (the opening love song written for his wife, “Drucilla,” and his walking bass line-driven “Nida,” a celebration of his two sons, Nicholas and Dario) and a cover of the Jerry Goldsmith song “Chinatown,” from the movie of the same name. Joining Payton, who also sings on the hushed ballad, “Blue,” are acoustic and Fender Rhodes pianist Kevin Hays, acoustic bassist Vincent Archer, drummer Marcus Gilmore and percussionist Daniel Sadownick.

Instead of being recorded in a New York studio, Payton felt that it was fitting for the setting to be in his New Orleans hometown. “The focal point of the album is strength in subtly and understatement, a quiet revolution of sorts through love,” he says. “Even though the city has undergone tremendous change lately, it still represents a consistent foundation for me.”

Payton exhibits tonal clarity throughout, avoiding the bursts of clarion exhilaration often associated with the trumpet. “I wanted to keep my playing within a certain range,” he says. “I didn’t want to play too high or too low. I was going for the sweet register of the horn so that I could play with color and richness. The trumpet can be such a brassy, powerful instrument, but I wanted to focus more on the core of the sound by staying close to the middle.”

Born into a musical family (he remembers sitting under the piano while his father rehearsed with his band) and mentored by two Crescent City jazz masters (Clyde Kerr Jr. at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans), Payton was well-prepared to leap into the jazz fray when he emerged on the New York jazz scene in the early 1990s. He impressed fellow New Orleans native and Jazz at Lincoln Center Artistic Director, Wynton Marsalis and was a regular in the early years of programming at the institution. Payton went on to put his own spin on Louis Armstrong-associated music on his sophomore CD, the appropriately-titled 1995 disc Gumbo Nouveau. While over the next several years, Payton continued to hone his craft working with such jazz legends as Doc Cheatham (on their Grammy Award-winning 1997 eponymous duo), Hank Jones, Elvin Jones, and Ray Brown, in 2003 he boldly moved beyond the straight-ahead. He shocked the jazz world with his adventurous CD Sonic Trance, an exhilarating plugged-in outing infused with elements of hip-hop, electronica, and effects-driven trumpeting.

“I wanted to make a shift to the other extreme,” Payton says. “I had been recording albums more in line with traditional jazz. Sonic Trance was all about breaking free from that. Now, I want to fuse those polarities, I'm seeking a more centered vision with Into the Blue.” He says that when he was in his 20s, it was as if he were living two lives"one being a young-lion torchbearer for making the music sound a certain way in 4/4 time with a swing feel, the other being at home with the musical experimentations of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, the electric fusion of Return to Forever and Weather Report, soul and R&B from Stevie Wonder to Anita Baker, and hip-hop.

The first CD he’s recorded since he entered his 30s, Into the Blue stands, Payton says, “most solidly in a place where I’m coming to terms with who I am. I’ve weeded out those things that don’t feel right for me. I’m not out to try to impress and I’m not worried that what I play is going to upset some people. I want to write and play music that speaks for me and means something to me, that I feel passionate about.”

Grooves are central to the project. “I was writing a lot from a groove first before melody,” Payton explains. “I was writing conga parts, real specific parts written out. I wanted that dance element that was there at the roots of jazz. I feel a lot of jazz has gotten away from that legacy.” He adds, “Whereas experimentation has its advantages, some things should always remain the same.”

Indeed, Into the Blue marks some impressive pushing on Payton’s part. He delivers a sweetened rhythmic brew on the Rhodes"driven “Let It Ride,” which he says exemplifies ”the feel of this album…that’s the feeling that comprises everything I love in music.” “Triptych” extends the groove deeper as Payton soars elegantly above. “The Crimson Touch” is invigorated by the trumpet-piano interplay while “The Backwards Step” starts out with Payton’s lyrical rumination and develops into a relaxed vibe with a Latin spice. In a nod to the Big Easy, “Fleur de Lis,” with its swirling soundscape, is “a melody in the middle zone,” Payton says, “where we’re deliberately trying to play everything soft.” Into the Blue concludes with a surge in velocity, as Payton and co. take a percussive jaunt through “The Charleston Hop (The Blue Steps),” which offers the leader the opportunity to energize the trumpet in typical fashion. “I wanted to include at least one tune here that shows I still know how to burn out,” he says.

Into the Blue is produced by Bob Belden, known not only for his own groups but also for his integral role in issuing the Columbia/Legacy box sets of Miles Davis music. “Bob and I have been friends for years,” says Payton. “I go to his house when I’m in New York and he always turns me on to some new bootlegs he’s unearthed. I’ve always been leery of working with a producer, which is why I’ve produced most of my own albums. For Into the Blue, though, I thought that if I were to work with a producer that person would have to share a certain sensibility in music, someone who really hears and understands and has taste. Bob is the cat. It was great having another set of ears I trust for this project.”

Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is a jazz trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton, he took up the trumpet at the age of four and by the time he was nine he was playing in the Young Tuxedo Brass Band alongside his father. Encouraged by Wynton Marsalis, who was himself involved in New Orleans' jazz and brass band music in his youth, Payton played semi-professionally throughout his grade school years and at the age of 12 played with the All Star Jazz Band at festivals throughout the United States and Europe. Upon leaving school he enrolled first at the New Orleans Centre for Creative Arts and then at the University of New Orleans, where he studied with Ellis Marsalis.

Payton's Place, Payton's third album as a leader.After touring with Marcus Roberts and Elvin Jones in the early 90s Payton signed a recording contract with Verve; his first album, From This Moment, appeared in 1994. In 1996 he performed on the soundtrack of the movie Kansas City, and in 1997 received a Grammy Award (Best Instrumental Solo) for his playing on the album Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton. After seven albums on Verve Payton signed with Warner Bros. Records, releasing Sonic Trance, his first album on the new label, in 2003. Besides his recordings under his own name, Payton has also played and recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Doc Cheatham and Joe Henderson.

—->
Show less

Ben Wolfe: Unjust

Read "Unjust" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo

by Maurizio Zerbo
December 11, 2023

Sul piano compositivo e dell'organizzazione sonora, Unjust è uno dei più luminosi gioielli jazzistici degli ultimi anni. Contrabbassista di ragguardevole talento, Ben Wolfe ribadisce nel suo decimo progetto discografico la predilezione per architetture ariose ma arzigogolate, dimostrando come la scrittura jazzistica possa captare lo spirito dei tempi nel rispetto dei classici modelli di riferimento. A dimostrare come il contrabbassista statunitense non si accontenti di riprodurre le idee altrui, l'impasto sonoro del suo ottetto trascende le atmosfere post-boppistiche e ...

Radio & Podcasts

Nicholas Payton, Mareike Wiening, Arthur Kell, A Tonic for the Troops & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 25, 2023

A playlist featuring musicians paying tribute to the music that inspired them to do what they do, be it electric jazz or R&B of the '70s and '80s, the Mississippi Blues of the '40s and '50s, and the music of their mentors. The second half features three compelling albums featuring tight bands led by forward looking bass players.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" Mondo Jazz Theme 0:00 Céline Bonacina ...

Album Review

Orrin Evans: The Red Door

Read "The Red Door" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
June 13, 2023

A most generous craftsman, composer and bandleader, pianist Orrin Evans never fails to bring out the best of whoever he chooses to create with. The Red Door is gratefully, and gracefully, no exception to that rule. Whatever musical setting Evans chooses to practice his sinewy, r'n'b inflected post-bop in--sideman, big band, trio, quartet, duo, whatever--a sweet animation propels his music and buoys the players gathered around him. In this case the two core units feature bass legend Buster Williams, ...

Album Review

Orrin Evans: The Red Door

Read "The Red Door" reviewed by Dave Linn

by Dave Linn
June 10, 2023

Orrin Evans released his debut album for quintet, “Justin Time," in 1996, at the age of 21. Over the next 25 years, Evans released over 20 albums in all shapes and sizes. From trio to standard ensembles to large bands and big bands, Evans' history included a ten-year stint as a member of the Mingus Big Band, leading to his formation of the Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band in 2009. Additionally, when pianist Ethan Iverson (who wrote the liner notes ...

Album Review

Ben Wolfe: Unjust

by Dave Linn
May 19, 2023

The history of modern jazz contains only a handful of bass players who have both led their own groups and been visionary in their compositions and approach. Charles Mingus, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Jaco Pastorius and Christian McBride are those who come to mind. With the release of his 10th album, Unjust, Ben Wolfe shows he belongs in that group. Wolfe began his musical career as a classical bassist and studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in ...

Album Review

Harry Skoler: Living in Sound - The Music of Charles Mingus

Read "Living in Sound - The Music of Charles Mingus" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
February 23, 2023

Tra i vari tributi alle composizioni di Charles Mingus, pubblicati nell'anno del centenario della nascita, questo di Harry Skoler conferma la plasticità di quei temi, articolati e mutevoli, frutto della sua complessa personalità. L'autore e primo solista di questo progetto è un clarinettista--già allievo di Jimmy Giuffre al New England Conservatory e da anni professore al Berklee College--la cui vita è stata radicalmente influenzata dalla passione per l'opera di Mingus. In collaborazione col sassofonista ...

Radio & Podcasts

McCoy Tyner & Nicholas Payton

by Joe Dimino
January 9, 2022

On the final episode of 2021, we profile the author of Black American Music, Nicholas Payton. We also look at a collection of musicians that made the world of jazz a memorable one in 2021. They include Charlie Ballantine, Beth McKenna, Alex Brown and Angel Roman. Additionally, we profile the musicians who make these musicians who they are. Legends like McCoy Tyner, Marcus Roberts and Paquito D'Rivera. Enjoy Episode 733 and all our best in 2022.Playlist Nicholas Payton ...

Performance / Tour

World-Renowned SMOKE Jazz Club Begins The New Year With 80th Birthday Celebrations For Billy Harper And Al Foster, The 10th Annual Coltrane Festival, And More

Source: AMT Public Relations
December 10, 2022

January 2023 Schedule Sunday, January 1 Coltrane Festival featuring Jeremy Pelt with the Eric Reed / Vincent Herring Quintet Jeremy Pelt: trumpet Vincent Herring: alto & tenor saxophone Eric Reed: piano John Webber: bass Joe Farnsworth: drums SMOKE’s 10th annual Coltrane Festival continues with featured guest trumpeter Jeremy Pelt joining the Eric Reed/Vincent Herring Quintet. JazzTimes says, “Pelt is a technical marvel. He executes intricate solos with ease, plays gorgeous ballads in a tasteful manner, ...
read more

Performance / Tour

World-Renowned SMOKE Jazz Club Announces November 2022 Concert Schedule

Source: AMT Public Relations
October 9, 2022

One of New York City’s premier live music venues, Smoke Jazz Club, presents a stellar line-up of some of music’s greatest artists during the month of November. Acclaimed for its essential music programming and inspired setting, Smoke Jazz Club recently reopened to much fanfare after being closed to indoor performances and dining for over two years. This revered institution has undertaken an impressive expansion and renovation that anchors its place as a world-renowned destination for the best in classic and ...
read more

Recording

Nicholas Payton Balances Studio Work As Bandleader, Producer; "Textures," His 5th Album On Paytone Records, Set For Spring Release

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
March 8, 2016

Grammy award-winning Nicholas Payton—one of the era’s definitive artists—has been quite busy this winter blowing with the all-star Monterey Jazz Festival on a nationwide tour, putting the finishing touches on Textures, his fifth release for his very own label, Payton Records, as well as producing and arranging Jane Monheit’s latest project, The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald. As a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer, bandleader, producer, arranger, and essayist, the New Orleans-born and- bred Payton will debut his Afro-Caribbean Mixtape, a blazing new ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nicholas Payton

Source: Michael Ricci
September 26, 2012

All About Jazz is celebrating Nicholas Payton's birthday today!

Interview

Something Else! Interview: Jazz Trumpeter Nicholas Payton

Source: Something Else!
October 29, 2011

Trumpeter Nicholas Payton may have begun his journey as part of the traditionalists in the early-1990s Young Lions movement, but he couldn't have emerged any further afield. In fact, Payton's upcoming R&B-infused project Bitches is only just now seeing the light of day, in a completely remixed format, after being rejected last fall by the stalwart jazz label Concord. [ONE TRACK MIND: New Orleans-born trumpeter Nicholas Payton offers insight into his varied career, from Satchmo to 'Sonic Trance'—and sings the ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Nicholas Payton

Source:
September 26, 2011

All About Jazz is celebrating Nicholas Payton's birthday today!

Radio

Brilliant Sketches: Nicholas Payton

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
May 7, 2011

The brilliant Miles Davis recording Sketches of Spain turned 50 in 2009 and on behalf of Legacy Recordings, who reissued a special collector's edition CD that same year, I produced a podcast series celebrating this masterpiece. For this series it was important to find artists who could speak with authority, not only about the impact of Miles' playing at that time but also about Gil Evans, the recording itself and the album's huge influence on the music. Our cast of ...
read more

170

Recording

Nicholas Payton - Sonic Trance (2003)

Source: Something Else!
April 27, 2011

By Mark Saleski Why do people hit a musical wall at a certain point in their life? They stop listening to anything put out after their high school (or college) years. Worst of all: they just stop listening. Music is no longer a part of their life. Of course, there are a whole lot of reasons. They mostly boil down to the pressures of adult existence: career, marriage, kids, rent, car payments, divorce, etc. I can see that, though I ...
read more

198

Recording

Something Else! Sneak Peek: Nicholas Payton - Bitches (2011)

Source: Something Else!
March 30, 2011

By Nick DeRiso Forgive me if I thought this was going to be trumpeter Nicholas Payton's further ruminations on the turbulent brilliance of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. Instead, Payton really means it. Of course, any experimental trumpet record—and this one, combining elements of soul, funk, street sounds and jazz, is certainly one of them—can't help but reference Miles Davis. There's “Freesia," which takes a page out of the hip-hop amalgams Davis was just beginning to explore when he passed in ...
read more