Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is a
Neo-bop jazzNeo-bop is a style of jazz that emerged in the 1980s as a reaction against free jazz and jazz fusion. In the United States it is associated with Wynton Marsalis and "The Young Lions." The effort earned praise and also criticism. Miles Davis called it "warmed over turkey" and others deemed it to be...
trumpetThe trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
player from
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
The son of
bassistThe double bass, also called the upright bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The name, "double bass," derives from the early use of the instrument to double—an octave lower where possible—the bass part written...
and
sousaphonistThe sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the tubist and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
Walter PaytonWalter Payton is a jazz bassist and sousaphonist from New Orleans, Louisiana.He has played with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and leads his own group called the Snap Bean Band. He also taught music at New Orleans' McDonogh 15 Elementary.Payton is the father of...
, 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 BandThe Young Tuxedo Brass Band is a brass band from New Orleans, which was influential on the New Orleans jazz scene in the years after World War II....
alongside his father. Encouraged by
Wynton MarsalisWynton Learson Marsalis is an American trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in classical music. He is also the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center...
, who was himself involved in New Orleans' jazz and New Orleans-style 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.
Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is a
Neo-bop jazzNeo-bop is a style of jazz that emerged in the 1980s as a reaction against free jazz and jazz fusion. In the United States it is associated with Wynton Marsalis and "The Young Lions." The effort earned praise and also criticism. Miles Davis called it "warmed over turkey" and others deemed it to be...
trumpetThe trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
player from
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Biography
The son of
bassistThe double bass, also called the upright bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The name, "double bass," derives from the early use of the instrument to double—an octave lower where possible—the bass part written...
and
sousaphonistThe sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the tubist and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
Walter PaytonWalter Payton is a jazz bassist and sousaphonist from New Orleans, Louisiana.He has played with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, and leads his own group called the Snap Bean Band. He also taught music at New Orleans' McDonogh 15 Elementary.Payton is the father of...
, 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 BandThe Young Tuxedo Brass Band is a brass band from New Orleans, which was influential on the New Orleans jazz scene in the years after World War II....
alongside his father. Encouraged by
Wynton MarsalisWynton Learson Marsalis is an American trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in classical music. He is also the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center...
, who was himself involved in New Orleans' jazz and New Orleans-style 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 Center for Creative ArtsNew Orleans Center for Creative Arts, or NOCCA, is a professional arts training center for secondary school-age children. NOCCA is located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school offers instruction in creative writing, dance, media arts, music, theatre arts, and visual arts, with a summer culinary...
and then at the
University of New OrleansThe University of New Orleans, often locally called UNO, is a medium sized public urban university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It is a member of the LSU System and the Urban 13 and is currently headed by Chancellor Timothy P...
, where he studied with
Ellis MarsalisEllis Marsalis is the name of two people, father and son:*Ellis Marsalis, Sr., New Orleans, Louisiana businessman*Ellis Marsalis, Jr., jazz pianist...
.
After touring with
Marcus RobertsMarcus Roberts is an American jazz pianist who has achieved fame as a stride pianist committed to celebrating classic standards and jazz traditions. Roberts has also distinguished his solos by accompanying himself with walking basslines...
and
Elvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was one of the great jazz drummers of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan. He served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1949 and subsequently played in a Detroit houseband led by...
in the early 90s Payton signed a recording contract with
VerveVerve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The...
; 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 AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
(Best Instrumental Solo) for his playing on the album
Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton. From 1998-99, he was a
sidemanA sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he is not a regular member. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit smoothly into the group in which they are currently playing. Many sidemen are...
with
The Seatbelts New York Musicianswas a Japanese blues/jazz band led by composer and instrumentalist Yoko Kanno.-Band history:The name of the band, according to the fictional description given in the anime series Cowboy Bebop, derives from how the performers wear seatbelts to be safe while they play hardcore jam sessions.The band...
that did the music for the popular
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
Cowboy Bebopis a 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: Set in 2071, the series follows the misadventures and tragedies of a group of bounty hunters, or "cowboys", traveling on their...
and played on four of the original soundtracks,
Cowboy BebopCowboy Bebop is the first album recorded by The Seatbelts for Cowboy Bebop. It features music played during the show, including an extended version of the theme song. It is one of the few soundtracks to a television show to achieve a perfect five star rating from Allmusic.All tracks by The...
,
Vitaminlessis the first mini-album recorded by The Seatbelts for the anime Cowboy Bebop. It features a few of the show's songs, along with the end credits theme, "The Real Folk Blues"....
,
No Discis the second Cowboy Bebop soundtrack album recorded by The Seatbelts....
, and Cowboy Bebop Blue. He also played on the boxed set as well. After seven albums on Verve, Payton signed with
Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
, 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 MarsalisWynton Learson Marsalis is an American trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in classical music. He is also the Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center...
, Dr. Michael White,
Christian McBrideChristian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
,
Joshua RedmanJoshua Redman is an American jazz saxophonist and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991.-Biography:...
,
Roy HargroveRoy A. Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
,
Doc CheathamAdolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham was a jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader....
and
Joe HendersonJoe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Born in Lima, Ohio, he studied music at Kentucky State College and Wayne State University before playing in Detroit at the beginning of his career.-Early life:...
.
In 2008, Payton became part of
The Blue Note 7The Blue Note 7 are a jazz septet formed in 2008 in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group consists of Peter Bernstein , Bill Charlap , Ravi Coltrane , Lewis Nash , Nicholas Payton , Peter Washington , and Steve Wilson .The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic,...
, a
septetA septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of
Blue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues...
. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled
Mosaic, which was released in 2009 on
Blue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues...
/
EMIThe EMI Group is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm- EMI Music Publishing- based in New York City...
, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January until April 2009.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=23494 The group plays the music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and
Renee RosnesIrene Louise Rosnes , professionally known as Renee Rosnes , is a pianist, composer and arranger in the hard bop and post-bop mediums...
.
Discography
- 1994 - From This Moment (Verve
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The...
)
- 1995 - Gumbo Nouveau (Verve)
- 1997 - Fingerpainting: The Music Of Herbie Hancock (Verve) with Christian McBride and Mark Whitfield
- 1997 - Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton (Verve)
- 1998 - Payton's Place
Payton's Place is a jazz album released in 1998 by trumpet player Nicholas Payton.-Track listing:# "Zigaboogaloo" – 5:53# "The Three Trumpeteers" – 5:26# "Back to the Source" – 6:27# "A Touch of Silver" – 5:12# "Concentric Circles" – 7:08...
(PolyGram Records)
- 1999 - Nick@Night (Verve)
- 1999 - Trumpet Legacy (Milestone
Milestone Records is a United States based jazz record label, founded in 1966 by Orrin Keepnews and Dick Katz in New York City. The company was incorporated into Fantasy Records in 1972, since then it has been used as a reissue as well as for new recordings....
) with Lew Soloff, Tom Harrell, and Eddie Henderson
- 2001 - Dear Louis (Verve)
- 2003 - Sonic Trance (Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as Warners or the Bunny, based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros. Pictures.-History:...
)
- 2004 - Live in New York 1.24.04
Live in New York 1.24.04 is the second recording, and first live recording, by Nicholas Payton's electric jazz band Sonic Trance. It was recorded live at the 2004 International Association for Jazz Education conference in New York City....
(Kufala Recordings) with Sonic Trance
- 2006 - Mysterious Shorter (Chesky) with Sam Yahel, Billy Drumond, John Hart, and Bob Belden
James Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...
- 2008 - Into The Blue (Nonesuch
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to license European recordings of classical music. Originally it concentrated heavily on chamber and baroque music, often...
)
External links