Search - Nicholas Payton :: From This Moment

Nicholas Payton not only has the short, round looks of Louis Armstrong, but the New Orleans trumpeter also captures his predecessor's fast, focused trumpet sound better than any other young musician. Just as important, Payton gives the music a friendly, playful feel, much like Satchmo's. On From This Moment, Payton mixes superior chops with a warm, Southern sensibility that's a delight. Payton favors a softer, more malleable tone like that of Armstrong or Miles Davis. This doesn't prevent him from darting with agility through uptempo bop tunes such as the standard "It Could Happen to You" or his own "In the Beginning." But Payton really comes into his own on ballads such as Kenny Dorham's "Fair Weather" or his own "To the Essential One," where he can hold out a single note and shape it to his own sultry, romantic purposes. --Geoffrey Himes