The Nicholas Payton Big Band @ Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola

[Photo courtesy of http://www.amsartists.com/nicholas_payton/photos.html.]

The Nicholas Payton Big Band
Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola
Jazz at Lincoln Center
March 6th, 2011

By Shannon J. Effinger

It’s a Sunday night here at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, a wonderful performance space with breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, at Jazz at Lincoln Center. As you walk into the club, you’re immediately drawn to the wonderful snapshots of jazz history, all of which feature the late, great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Since I was a child, I’ve seen countless images of Gillespie—including a memorable guest appearance as a music teacher on The Cosby Show—but nothing like these photos. All of the pictures seem personal, as though we’re not only getting a glimpse of his fascinating life and journeys throughout the world, but also a look at some of the musicians he’s performed with over the years (Max Roach, James Moody, Thelonious Monk). It’s not only inviting for those who come from all over to hear the music, but for future jazz leaders, it’s an omen, a reminder that they can one day join those legends on the wall. And from the sounds of it, trumpeter Nicholas Payton is well on his way.

It’s the final night of this week-long engagement and it’s the perfect night to catch The Nicholas Payton Big Band. Not only because there’s a torrential rainstorm outside that doesn’t want to end, but I missed an opportunity to hear him perform at the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro in New Orleans last summer, Payton’s hometown, and I’m finally going to hear exactly what I missed.

He opens with a piece called “Once in a Blue Moon,” a tribute to the late jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland. This one’s well suited for Payton and his big band. Not only does it make you aware of his prowess as a bandleader, keeping each section organically in sync with a slight hand or arm gesture, but the intensity of Payton’s trumpet alongside his booming horn section is quite reminiscent of the collaborations between Gil Evans and Miles Davis.

“In the Zone” established a contemplative mood for the evening. There’s some bounce to it, especially in its upswings, but Payton’s vocals, which at first was quite unexpected, brings everything down to a mellow space that in case you forgot you were at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola listening to jazz, this piece was a perfect reminder. The musicians were very much in sync and it was very easy to literally get lost inside of the trills and melodic flourishes of Payton’s trumpet. It was a nice surprise to see Payton actually enjoy his fellow musicians as he would every now and then do a little shoulder bounce.

Payton’s rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “Tiger Rag” gave me a taste of what I missed in New Orleans last summer. His punctuated high notes and playful flourishes on trumpet not only injected the spirit of New Orleans into everyone present that night, but it also shows that there’s a strong connection to his roots.

Being only 37, Payton is hardly a traditional musician. Like his native New Orleans, Payton’s sound is an amalgam of many different influences—jazz, ragtime, swing, hip-hop and even R&B. It’s also nice to see that Payton includes more than his fair share of women in his big band, notably saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen. It is rare these days to hear a jazz musician like Nicholas Payton who embraces different sounds and goes against the grain.

"treh-MAY" - Episode #6: "Shallow Water, Oh Mama"

(All photos/general information can be found @ http://www.poptower.com/treme-pictures.htm or Wikipedia.)

Creighton (John Goodman) heads to the airport to meet his literary agent who travelled all the way from New York with very important news. It’s taken him nearly seven years to finish his novel about the 1927 Flood so it is only natural for him to be just a tad nervous about her visit. However we soon learn that his publisher would like Creighton to transform his “colorful” YouTube broadcasts, a newly discovered platform for sharing his outrage over President Bush and the New Orleans government's slow (almost non-existent) response to the devastation of Katrina, into a literary work—especially since Katrina is so “hot” right now (her sentiments). He’s very adamant about finishing his current novel ONLY and insists that he does just that. Creighton promises to turn in pages within 4-6 weeks, but it’s the aftermath of Katrina that has his attention at the moment, not the 1927 flood. He instead continues to use the Internet to deliver additional messages of rage over the government’s inaction. Creighton's rage is gradually turning into depression and self-despair.

He does manage to find some joy in the upcoming Krewe du Vieux parade, a politically biting celebration in which he, Toni (Melissa Leo) and their daughter Sofia dress up as "sperm," flying tails and all, and proudly march behind an "excited" Mayor Ray Nagin float entitled "Nagin's Wet Dream." And here's the kicker...the theme of the parade: C'EST LEVEE!!!

Toni heads to Texas to dig for more clues regarding Daymo's whereabouts. She arrives at the home of a former NOPD officer to question him about what exactly occurred over five months ago, the day that Katrina hit. He explains how he stopped Daymo for running a red light and then discovered an outstanding warrant in the system and told him that he had to be brought in. When Toni showed the ex-cop Daymo's picture, he couldn't give her a positive ID, quickly noting how Daymo "resembles" most of the people he's arrested. She ran through the questions once more and then realized that if he stopped Daymo for running a traffic light, there should be a record of it somewhere. Toni eventually tracked down the ex-cop's old squad car (pretending to pick it up) and found the citation which is the proof that Toni needs to show that Daymo was indeed arrested on that very day.

Albert (Clarke Peters) continues the fight to have the projects reopened so that people can come back home--especially for Mardi Gras. When an aide from Councilman Singleton's office visits Albert, there seems to be hope just yet that the houses will reopen. Instead, he offers Albert one FEMA trailer. "Get the hell out this bar," he quickly says.

Delmond (Rob Brown) and saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr., both native New Orleanians, play at the famous Snug Harbor during their multi-city tour. As evident from their powerful performance, they also share a passion for "straight, no chaser" jazz (Bud Powell, Dizzy, Bird, Mingus). But when Albert arrives at Snug Harbor to watch his son Delmond perform, he and Donald share a little competition over the idea of running into each other in their respective Indian costumes at Mardi Gras. Like his father, Donald Harrison, Jr. is also a Big Chief. This and other events that evening perhaps show Delmond that he should embrace his New Orleans' musical roots a bit more. While Albert and his gang are rehearsing, Delmond walks in. At first, he just stands back and observes. Then soon enough, Delmond, the "straight ahead, strive for tone" jazz musician, is clapping and singing along as they chant, "Shallow Water, Oh Mama"