Jazz Articles about Nicholas Payton

Nicholas Payton & Sonic Trance: Live in New York 1.24.04

by Jeff Stockton
January 6, 2005

On the surface, Nicholas Payton's Sonic Trance is a fusion band. The leader occasionally tricks out his horn with effects, pianist Scott Kinsey moves over to electric keyboard from time to time, and percussionist Daniel Sadownick does his best to establish an Agharta vibe on congas. But there is no electric guitar in Sonic Trance, and Vicente Archer lays down the groove over the course of this hour-long concert solely on acoustic bass. Every trumpet player is forced at one ...

A Fireside Chat with Nicholas Payton

by AAJ Staff
February 21, 2004

The term “young lion" has followed Nicholas Payton for the duration of his budding career. Fueled by urban legends of Wynton's personal involvement, pressure for Payton must now seem par for the course. Judging by Sonic Trance, his new album for Warner Bros., Payton has survived and more importantly, matured from the industry's unforgiving process. This bodes well for the trumpeter, whose purity in tone and dynamic attack testify to his technical facility. Coupled with a sense of swing that ...

Nicholas Payton Puts NYC In A 'Sonic Trance'

by AAJ Staff
November 7, 2003

Nicholas Payton's “Sonic Trance" Iridium New York City October, 17, 2003

Nicholas Payton put the Big Apple in a “Sonic Trance" one cool October evening. Iridium is a delightful dining place, which also happens to host the best acts in jazz. When you're in New York, head over to 1650 Broadway at 51st Street to get the low-down in mid-town.

Trumpeter Nicholas Payton brought his latest quintet with him. He also brought some of ...

Nicholas Payton: In Conversation

by Gregory J. Robb
October 1, 2003

In some ways, Nicholas Payton's new Warner release, Sonic Trance, was inevitable: he says he was headed this way for quite some time. However, this record represents something of a highlight for the native of New Orleans ' a reach that grasps new uses of technology for aesthetic effect.

From the moment we first hear, 'Sonic trance, sonic trance” echo through our headsets, we know we're in for something new made from something old. In Payton's case, sounds ...

Nicholas Payton: Sonic Trance

by AAJ Staff
August 25, 2003

“I wasn’t interested in playing ‘tunes,’” says Nicholas Payton. “So the concept of ‘takes’ wasn’t going to work. We’d start something as I sketched it, then obliterate that and take it somewhere else. No one knew what to expect and that was what made it exciting.”

Sonic Trance firmly establishes Nicholas Payton in the jazz world of musical diversity. His first Warner release demonstrates how he has grown from traditional roots into a new escape of synthetic and acoustic textures. ...

Peter Martin: Something Unexpected

by C. Michael Bailey
June 1, 2002

Piano and ...more Piano...

Thirty-year-old New Orleans native Peter Martin is showcased on Something Unexpected, the second release in Max Jazz's Piano Series. To date, there have been three releases in this series. The first was Bruce Barth's superb East and West (Max Jazz 201) and following Peter Martin's contribution was Jessica Williams' outstanding This Side Up (Max Jazz 203). Like the label's vocal series, the piano series highlights a wide range of jazz styles with an emphasis on innovation ...

Peter Martin: Something Unexpected

by David Adler
March 1, 2002

Peter Martin, the 30-year-old from New Orleans, is the second pianist (after Bruce Barth) to be showcased on the MaxJazz label’s new piano series. (Interestingly, Bruce Barth is listed along with Martin as a co-producer.) The exciting date was recorded live in St. Louis, and it features a happening quintet in top form. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton shares the frontline with one of jazz’s best-kept secrets, tenor saxophonist Brice Winston; bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Adonis Rose anchor the rhythm section ...