St. Cecilia Music Center

Controversial jazz artist Nicholas Payton appears in Grand Rapids for St. Cecilia Jazz Series

Wednesday, February 01 2012

Trumpeter Nicholas Payton plays jazz, but he’s refusing to say the word “jazz” at least for now. That’s unusual for a musician who performs in that genre, but it’s only a temporary, 90-day vow of abstinence, Payton said. “On March 7, I’m definitely going to start using it again,” he added. Payton is attempting to draw attention to how “the J-word” is used, misused and misunderstood. “It’s of ambiguous origin,” he said. “No one really knows where it’s from.”

Nevertheless, Payton will be in town with his trio on Feb. 9 as the third and final artists appearing in the 2011-12 St. Cecilia Jazz Series. St. Cecilia Music Center’s executive director Cathy Holbrook said she’s excited to have Payton on the series. “He’s a genius musician, a gifted composer and producer, and a skilled, astute writer that the West Michigan audience will thoroughly enjoy,” she said.

Payton, whose blog doesn’t shrink from controversy on a wide range of topics, believes many people hear the word “jazz” and then think of music that’s too difficult or too long to listen to. “A lot of people hear ‘the J-word’ and they’re immediately turned off,” he said. “The music is more deserving of respect.” He summed it up in December with a blog entry titled, “An Open Letter To My Dissenters On Why Jazz Isn’t Cool Anymore.”

In fact, Payton prefers the term “Black American Music,” and sees jazz as a part of a tradition that stretches back further in time to spirituals and continues through contemporary music. “Michael Jackson was out of that tradition. He really was a modern version of what Louis Armstrong was in the 1920s. Only people don’t see it,” he said. “I don’t want to separate myself from Michael Jackson. When you call it ‘the J-word’ that’s when people don’t associate it.”

Payton, 38, organized the first Black American Music — or #BAM! — Conference in early January in New York City, which ignited a firestorm of controversy. Follow the discussion on Twitter at #BAM. “I thought we could clear up some of the misconceptions. It obviously started quite a conversation online,” he admits.
Many who attended support the conversation, he said. The critics were silent at the conference, but spoke out loudly afterward. Payton, however, isn’t backing down. “It’s not about if you disagree or not. I’m just basically saying what it is. You can accept it or not accept it,” he said. “It’s not about me. I’m just the one who kicked the door down and brought the subject back to the table.”

A native of New Orleans, Payton was born into a musical family with a mother who was a pianist and singer and a father, Walter Payton, a double bass and sousaphone player, composer and educator, who had appeared in the Grand Rapids area with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band before his death in 2010.

Nicholas Payton, a multi-talented instrumentalist, played every instrument and sang on his ninth and latest album, titled “Bitches.” “In the studio, you can take your time and do it,” he said. When he tours and performs live, he doesn’t like to work alone. “I guess there’s a way, but it’s more fun for me with other musicians,” he added.

His appearance in St. Cecilia Music Center will include original material from his recent albums, some jazz standards, and a bit of free improvisation.
Payton means completely free. “Either I start with something or I say to the bassist or drummer, ‘You got it,‘” he said. “I like to create space and create something spontaneously.”



IF YOU GO: Nicholas Payton and his Trio
What: St. Cecilia Jazz Series
When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9
Where: St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE
Tickets: $35 and $30 adults, $10 students; $15 for pre-concert wine and hors d’oeuvres reception
Call: St. Cecilia at 459-2224.