It's a challenge every young musician faces: how to move beyond the "as good as" comparisons
into a more advanced phase of musical development. A phase where his accomplishments are
measured not against those of others, but against his own. Where his music is judged by standards
he himself has set. Where one uses his external technique - tone and execution - to enhance his
internal technique, solving the problem of how to realize the ideas that exist only in the individual
consciousness. In short, how to sound like yourself. On his latest effort, Payton's Place,
Grammy®-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton faces that challenge head-on. Payton's Place
showcases the young trumpeter in a dazzling array of contexts, from swing to groove to
avant-garde. It's a sign of Payton's maturing musical concept, his first step in building a reputation
similar to those of the musicians he most admires.
On Payton's Place, he's aided by familiar cohorts: pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Reuben
Rogers, saxophonist Timothy Warfield, and drummer Adonis Rose. The potent combination of
youthful fire, polished technique, and maturing sensibilities yields wide-ranging powerful results.
Payton and company blaze through material that runs the gamut, from the New Orleans-styled
groover "Zigaboogaloo" to the joyous swing of "Three Trumpeteers" (which features Wynton
Marsalis and Roy Hargrove) to the freewheeling telepathic interaction on "Concentric Circles". The
set closes with the wistful ballad, "The Last Goodbye".
An inspired reworking of the Stylistics' "People make the World Go Round" is, perhaps the best
indicator of Payton's expanded sensibility. The band reharmonizes the old school R&B tune into a
sublimely enchanting excursion. "I don't want to go against my reputation, as far as what I have
established," Payton said. "But I don't want to be categorized as a traditionalist. I am still very
conscious of my roots, but at the same time, I want to use my foundation as a starting point that
will allow me to expand and express myself."
Payton's foundation is well-known to jazz aficionados: A sumo-wrestler-sized tone, ear-popping
high notes, and seemingly boundless lyrical gifts. The New Orleans native was born into a musical
family. His mother, Maria, was a classical pianist, while his father, Walter, is a well-respected
bassist. Payton developed rapidly . . . he started gigging with his father at age eight, eventually
playing with the All-Star Brass Band, a traditional jazz youth group that played throughout the U.S.
and abroad. He later enrolled at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, whose alumni included
Terence Blanchard, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and Donald Harrison. He later studied with
Marsalis family patriarch Ellis Marsalis at the University of New Orleans, eventually performing
with Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, and Elvin Jones, who appointed him musical director of his famed
Jazz Machine band at the tender age of nineteen. Now, with two albums as a leader behind him
(Payton's Place is his third), and numerous guest spots to his credit, the 24-year-old Payton is one
of the most celebrated members of jazz's young guard.
But as important as Payton's musical pedigree is, it's his musical intelligence, his voracious musical
appetite and an ever-evolving, forward-thinking musical sensibility, that sets him apart from others
of his generation. One might have guessed that from Payton's musical activity over the past few
years. He released his debut album, From This Moment, in 1995 and followed that with 1996's
Gumbo Nouveau. That same year, he appeared in director Robert Altman's movie Kansas City,
portraying legendary trumpeter Oran "Hot Lips" Page. He's also recorded with organ legend Jimmy
Smith (on 1995's Damn! ) and teamed up with bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Mark
Whitfield for Fingerpainting: the Music of Herbie Hancock. His 1997 collaboration with trumpeter
Doc Cheatham, Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton, earned him a Grammy® Award this year in the
"Best Solo Jazz Performance" category for the duo's version of "Stardust".
While he continues to receive numerous accolades, Nicholas Payton is not one to be complacent.
"I'm very hard on myself," Payton says. "I feel an artist has to constantly push, to find out how far
he can go."
