We Help You Hire, Book and Produce a Nicholas Payton Performance
Celebrity Direct Inc. will help you select, book and hire Nicholas Payton to perform at your corporate event, non-profit event or private performance.
We are always uniquely positioned as your advocate throughout the hiring process and we won’t let you overpay.
Contact us for availability, price and other production details at:
212-521-4115 Tell Us About Your Event
__________
Nicholas Payton Songs
- “Dear Louis”
- “Nick @ Night”
- “The Last Goodbye”
- “A Touch of Silver”
- “Driftin”
- “West End Blues”
- “Cocentric Circles”
- “Whoopin Blues”
__________
Nicholas Payton Bio
Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Nicholas Payton was raised in New Orleans, a town chock-full of trumpet players and he originally followed in the footsteps of a mile-long line of tradition-based players including Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt, and of course, Wynton Marsalis. Payton is the son of Walter Payton, a well-known bassist on the Crescent City jazz scene. His mother played piano. Given his upbringing in a musical family, Payton often spent upwards of ten hours a day practicing trumpet in his youth. He began playing trumpet as a four-year-old, after asking his father to get him one. He began accompanying his father to shows at clubs in his youth and had the chance to hear many great trumpet players.
“I had a chance to hear some great trumpeters like Wendell Brunious, Leroy Jones, Clyde Kerr Jr., and Teddy Riley,” Payton said in a 2003 interview, and he also recalled seeing Wynton Marsalis when he was in high school. “I got to hear a bunch of people play trumpet in a town that has been noted for trumpet players since Buddy Bolden. For me, trumpet fit my personality. It suited my voice. You’re able to express a wide range of emotions on the instrument,” he said.
The turning point for the young Payton came when he was 11, when he heard a Miles Davis quartet album that was in his parents’ record collection. With the opening notes of the recording, he knew then he wanted to be a trumpet player and play jazz. He started performing publicly as a ten-year-old and began playing in the streets as a year later. He worked everywhere from jazz funerals to weddings to bar mitzvahs, and played on the streets for tips.
Payton attended New Orleans’ high school for the Creative Arts and studied with Clyde Kerr Jr.; he later studied briefly at the University of New Orleans with pianist Ellis Marsalis, who raised Wynton,Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason. Payton learned more from showing up at the elder Marsalis’ gigs at Snug Harbor and other Crescent City jazz clubs than he did in the classroom. Payton’s college career at UNO was interrupted by the chance to go on the road with drummer Elvin Jones. He had spent time on the road with Marcus Roberts and other touring musicians, but those were shorter stints. Spending two years on the road with drummer Joneswas his first big break, he recalled.
Through the years, Payton has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Doc Cheatham, and Joe Henderson, among others. He began his recording career with Verve Records, and his first album, From This Moment, was released in 1992. Two years later he performed on the soundtrack for the movie Kansas City, and in 1997 he received a Grammy Award for his playing on a collaborative album with then-nonagenarian trumpeter Doc Cheatham, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton. He also released 1995’sGumbo Nouveau, 1997’s Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock, 1998’s Payton’s Place, 1999’s Nick@Night, and 2001’s Dear Louis.
Payton signed with Warner Bros. in 2003, releasing the ’70s fusion-influenced Sonic Trance. An auto accident briefly sidelined Payton’s career as he took time to fully recover. He returned with Mysterious Shorter on Chesky in 2006 and Into the Blue on Nonesuch in 2008. Well known as a risk taker, Payton took one of his grandest on 2011’s Bitches. A concept recording that details the stages and ending of a romantic relationship, Payton composed and arranged all 16 songs (which include lyrics), played every instrument, sang and played trumpet throughout, and produced the entire set. He is accompanied on the album by special guest vocalists Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, N’Dambi, Chinah Blac, and Saunders Sermons.
__________
Contact Nicholas Payton Manager or Agent | You May Ask?
How can I hire Nicholas Payton for a corporate event, non-profit or charity event or private performance? How much does Nicholas Payton cost for a performance, a song, an appearance at an event, party or convention ending gala? What kind of budget would I need for a Nicholas Payton performance at our event? How can I find out if Nicholas Payton is available for our event date? How do I contact Nicholas Payton’s manager? How do I contact Nicholas Payton’s agent?
We can answer all your questions.
Contact our National Booking Office at 212 521-4115 or send us your questions via email to hire Nicholas Payton.
__________
Why Celebrity Direct Inc.
Direct Source for Celebrity Performers We are the industry leader in celebrity talent buying and production for corporate events. We work on your behalf to hire the best possible celebrity for your budget and we are uniquely positioned as your advocate in the booking process so you never overpay.
Corporate & Non-Profit Events and Private Performances We are dedicated to private performances, not publicly ticketed events, and we are the experts in this highly specialized entertainment market.
Complete Turn-Key Production Nationwide Event planners work with us in several ways, either choosing from a menu of our services or asking us to produce a show delivered completely turn-key at your event nationwide.