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Nicholas Payton Trio at The Side Door
New Orleans-born trumpeter, keyboardist, and singer Nicholas Payton is a maverick performer with a sound steeped in acoustic post-bop, whose music often finds him exploring genres beyond the confines of the jazz tradition. A star from a young age, Payton garnered early attention in the ’90s, touring with Elvin Jones and Marcus Roberts before releasing albums like 1995’s From This Moment and 1996’s Gumbo Nouveau. He gained wider acclaim appearing and playing on the soundtrack to Robert Altman‘s film Kansas City, winning a Grammy for his 1997 collaboration with veteran trumpeter Doc Cheatham, and paying homage to Louis Armstrong with 2001’s Dear Louis. Beginning with 2003’s electronica and fusion-influenced Sonic Trance, Payton has broadened his musical palette. Coining the term Black American Music or BAM, albums like 2011’s Bitches, 2014’s Numbers, and 2017’s Afro-Caribbean Mixtape have found him pushing beyond the strictures of modern jazz and weaving together elements of hip-hop, funk, and R&B. While his trumpet prowess remains his calling card, Payton often showcases his piano skills as on 2019’s Relaxin’ with Nick and 2021’s Smoke Sessions.
