Nicholas Payton

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Nicholas Payton's Bio: Nicholas Payton is the embodiment of every trumpet player who came before him, and he leads the way for all who follow. Hailed as a virtuoso before he was even out of high school, his maturation as a prodigious talent has earned him praise as one of the most important artists of our time.

In 1994, Nicholas Payton made his recording debut as a leader with From This Moment, where he was immediately recognized as a "young lion". Since then, Payton has consistently committed himself to developing a distinct voice beyond the strict labels that fans and critics alike have sought to pin on him.

He says: "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. 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 have no agenda in terms of a specific genre or style, only to be true to who I am."

Nicholas Payton was born September 26, 1973, in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a musical family. Encouraged by his mother, a pianist and vocalist, and his father the legendary bassist, composer and educator Walter Payton, Nicholas showed talent for music at a very early age. He received his first trumpet at age four and by age nine was sitting-in with local bands including the Young Tuxedo Brass Band. By the age of 12 he was a member of the All Star Brass Band that performed and toured extensively. As he grew up and studied, Nicholas successfully learned how to play several instruments including but not limited to the trumpet. He is an accomplished pianist, bassist, drummer, and plays tuba, trombone, clarinet and saxophone, et al. During his high school years, Payton attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts to study with Clyde Kerr Jr. and after graduation attended the University of New Orleans where he studied with Ellis Marsalis.

Nicholas has toured with scores of musicians including Clark Terry, Marcus Roberts, Ray Brown, Elvin Jones, and Roy Haynes and many more. He has also performed and recorded with many musicians representing a multitude of musical genres from jazz, R&B, and hip-hop and is credited on well over 120 recordings as a composer, arranger, special guest or sideman.

As a leader, Nicholas has recorded 8 albums under his own name including Doc Cheatham and Nicholas Payton-a 1997 GRAMMY award-winning collaboration with the legendary trumpeter. He also released Dear Louis, Nick @ Night, Gumbo Nouveau, Sonic Trance, Payton's Place, and Into The Blue.

Payton says in reference to both his music and his life that he has finally arrived "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 and that I feel passionate about."

If it sounds like Nicholas Payton is a genius musician, a gifted composer and producer, a skilled astute writer and sometime social provocateur, and a shrewd businessman, he is all that, and more. His craft and artistry defy all restrictions leaving little that he cannot do and so it's clear that Nicholas is rooted in more than just traditions.

Nicholas Payton was chosen to serve as Distinguished Artist and Visiting Lecturer at Tulane University for the 2011/2012 academic year. … Read more