Customer Reviews

Gumbo Nouveau

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd never heard Nicholas Payton play before this album came out. Listen to Whoopin' Blues and you will be hooked. He has a wonderfully Fat Sound, played with verve and energy, that is such a welcome alternative to Wynton's lyrically pure but increasingly dry style. The "Saints" is mercifully non-corny, in fact Payton has resisted the temptation to turn this into a trad-jazz museum. Sure, the songs are old standards mainly, but they sound great. The trumpet blows hard, sax and keyboards are well in sync. Last year, I saw Payton play at the Vanguard, most of it from this album -- stunning, stunning, stunning.

The word "Gumbo" tells us that this CD is a collection of traditional tunes from New Orleans. The word "Nouveau" tells us that these tunes have been modernized. This CD is beautifully done, everything from the arrangements to their execution. Payton brings new life to some great old tunes.

Payton gives a fresh interpretation of some traditional numbers. His Saints is an all time favorite of mine. I bought this album after hearing Payton's Place and believe it to be every bit as good. He is up there with Roy Hardgrove, Terence Blanchard and the Master Wynton on the list of great modern trumpeters.

This cd is amazing and fantastic If you love NOLA music this is a must for your collection .Nicholas Payton is one of the many great artist from NOLA.How can I say It he is simley fantastic you will litsen to it over and over

This was young New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton's second CD as a leader. Supported by Jesse Davis on alto sax, Tim Warfield on tenor, Anthony Wonsey on piano, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Adonis Rose on drums, Payton provides, as it says right on the back of the CD case, "modern treatments of New Orleans classics." Payton covers tunes such as "When the Saints Go Marchin' In," "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans," "Li'l Liza Jane," and "St. James Infirmary," familiar tunes all, but done in ways that seem new and fresh. The net result is an album with plenty of energy, but with a good-time feel to it, too.

Actually, what Payton and his cohort do here is similar to what Tiger Okoshi and his crew do in Echoes of a Note, but because of the different musical personalities involved, the music is much different. The gumbo may be new and different, but it is still tasty and satisfying.