Nicholas Payton [Payton's Place] Well here's the replay of the original disc that i began my Blog with at the beginning of last year [1st January 2010], well i've come a long way since that day, one thing i definitely notice, is that my Blog entries are now more substantial, i've learned to express myself through this blog more effectively, learned how to do one of the most impossible things, and that's to put sounds into words and feelings on paper / type, back then that was a magical moment, stepping out into the unknown and writing a Blog, i hope that this now marks a lovely milestone, as i write this entry it's a 'circling back to the beginning', music is more of a lateral / circular thing rather than a linear progression, maybe i'm waxing too lyrical or scientific, but for me the essence of music is contained in the axiom 'you only really fall in love with music, when you fall in love with music again'.
Nicholas Payton is an American Jazz Trumpeter, now 47, he made this disc in 1997 and 1998, and i bought it fairly soon after, the booklet front cover shot [by Barron Claiborne] is one of the very best cover shots i've ever seen, a close up of Payton with a trumpet up to his ear, colourful clothing, including a green suit jacket, juxtaposed with a bright red background!, he even has a red hankie in his pocket to go with it!, on the back inlay the track listing right side is in yellow, and i like the lettering slanting at an angle!, it may seem that all the colours clash, but i feel they all work together, the inner of the booklet is a several page fold out, and it's all expertly done, and has a nice theme to it, and the music if anything is even more stunning!.
One of the things i've looked forward to in my Blog, is replaying old discs again, and giving a new take on the music as i write about my continued experiences, it is such a joy to wheel out a treasured disc i haven't heard in a while, and to give it a new spin, i'm a different person than i was 400 odd days ago when i listened to this last, this disc now resides at No32 in my all time listing, that's extremely high for a disc when i've got over 1600 discs in my collection, and that's No4 in my Jazz discs too.
On to the music!, this album has so many magical moments, tracks 1, 3, 5-6 & 8-10 were especial highlights, with track 9 Paraphernalia probably the very best track, here's a synopsis of all these best tracks,
1 Zigaboogaloo - the opening track, and it has the most incredible opening, with the Drummer Adonis Rose beating out an incredibly groovy solo line, full of nice reverberation and complexity, it only lasts 16 seconds, but it sets the tone for the whole album, and of course this groovy line comes back again and again, and the recording!, it's so lively and involving, everything sounds so magical, the rumble beat of the bass drum, and the ting of the smallest cymbal are equally caught to excite the listener.
3 Back To The Source - it seems all the intros are well thought out on this album, this time the Pianist Anthony Wonsey vamps out some nice reverberant bassy chords, again lasting 16 seconds, and Payton has a wonderfully inspired and intense solo [2:43-4:19], with Adonis Rose in fine form to back him up.
5 Concentric Circles - again the opening is inspired, this time the Drummer Adonis Rose has a nice solo lazy drumroll, that hesitates before it kicks into a stuttering beat, this time 18 seconds before the Saxophonist comes in, and again it's the Drummer Adonis Rose that has a clever and nicely complex solo [5:26-6:19], and his drumkit is nicely stereophonically seperated, and what a clever name for a track!.
6 Li'l Duke's Strut - i played this album on random / shuffle, so this was the first track that played, and the first track always seems to hit you harder and be more inspired.
8 With A Song In My Heart - a duet with the Trumpeter Roy Hargrove on this one, and Payton and Hargrove weave round each other in a very clever way.
9 Paraphernalia - this is the most inspired intro on the album, a Double Bass solo by Reuben Rogers [0:00-0:43], it starts off with with deep and reverberant notes, takes it time to develop into a groove, the Pianist joins in at [0:23], and then the whole thing explodes into a faster meter [0:44], and it's this chop and change of speeds that makes Paraphernalia so fascinating, one moment it's a lazy vibe, the next it's a fast swing, a mention must be made of Paytons solo, in three parts in a way, and it's this middle part [5:35-6:25] which is the most inpired, and the way that it changes from one part into a higher gear for the next is so joyful [at 5:35 & 6:25 of course], getting faster and more intense, lovely, a special mention must be made of the Drummer Adonis Rose, his cleverness and variety in the background makes everyone sound so much more inspired.
10 Brownie A La Mode - another duet, this time with Wynton Marsalis, again Payton and Marsalis weave around each other nicely, Marsalis is more livelier than Hargrove on the other duet, and more competitive too!, seems to try to be more clever and upstage his host, it ends nice an abrupt!.
1 Zigaboogaloo - the opening track, and it has the most incredible opening, with the Drummer Adonis Rose beating out an incredibly groovy solo line, full of nice reverberation and complexity, it only lasts 16 seconds, but it sets the tone for the whole album, and of course this groovy line comes back again and again, and the recording!, it's so lively and involving, everything sounds so magical, the rumble beat of the bass drum, and the ting of the smallest cymbal are equally caught to excite the listener.
3 Back To The Source - it seems all the intros are well thought out on this album, this time the Pianist Anthony Wonsey vamps out some nice reverberant bassy chords, again lasting 16 seconds, and Payton has a wonderfully inspired and intense solo [2:43-4:19], with Adonis Rose in fine form to back him up.
5 Concentric Circles - again the opening is inspired, this time the Drummer Adonis Rose has a nice solo lazy drumroll, that hesitates before it kicks into a stuttering beat, this time 18 seconds before the Saxophonist comes in, and again it's the Drummer Adonis Rose that has a clever and nicely complex solo [5:26-6:19], and his drumkit is nicely stereophonically seperated, and what a clever name for a track!.
6 Li'l Duke's Strut - i played this album on random / shuffle, so this was the first track that played, and the first track always seems to hit you harder and be more inspired.
8 With A Song In My Heart - a duet with the Trumpeter Roy Hargrove on this one, and Payton and Hargrove weave round each other in a very clever way.
9 Paraphernalia - this is the most inspired intro on the album, a Double Bass solo by Reuben Rogers [0:00-0:43], it starts off with with deep and reverberant notes, takes it time to develop into a groove, the Pianist joins in at [0:23], and then the whole thing explodes into a faster meter [0:44], and it's this chop and change of speeds that makes Paraphernalia so fascinating, one moment it's a lazy vibe, the next it's a fast swing, a mention must be made of Paytons solo, in three parts in a way, and it's this middle part [5:35-6:25] which is the most inpired, and the way that it changes from one part into a higher gear for the next is so joyful [at 5:35 & 6:25 of course], getting faster and more intense, lovely, a special mention must be made of the Drummer Adonis Rose, his cleverness and variety in the background makes everyone sound so much more inspired.
10 Brownie A La Mode - another duet, this time with Wynton Marsalis, again Payton and Marsalis weave around each other nicely, Marsalis is more livelier than Hargrove on the other duet, and more competitive too!, seems to try to be more clever and upstage his host, it ends nice an abrupt!.
Here's Nicholas Payton playing Paraphernalia on YouTube [a Wayne Shorter song], this live version has a very long double bass solo [1:48], not found on the excellent studio track.
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