You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - A Conversation With Nicholas Payton (Part 2)

Episode Date: May 13, 2021

Part two of Peter & Adam's interview with Grammy award winning trumpeter, composer, producer, blogger, and #BAM codifier, Nicholas Payton.Links from this episode:Check out Nicholas Payton's official website hereSee Nicholas Payton's Tiny Desk performance hereBuy his classic album Nick@Night with this linkPrefer your podcasts in video form? Watch the YouTube version of this episode hereInterested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

So how do you see, you know, coming out of this pause slash lockdown pandemic period, how do you see these issues? I mean, obviously people, I don't know about obviously, but it feels like there's an openness to, you know, audiences and musicians to really realigning and, and, you know, possibly even really understand and look at through a different lens, the idea of bam and black American music and like where this music can go. but how do you see that actually happening like with venues and clubs because everyone's talking about this is like I mean there's the whole issue of like are people going to want to go into the vanguard where there's no windows and there's no there's bad ventilation and there was already disease being spread before COVID probably you know but I mean even beyond that like where do you see things going are you optimistic are you optimistic about the scene in the coming years I am well one thing I would say with specific regard to ban is I've seen a tide changing really over the whole 10 years, but almost accelerated in this COVID era. I think last summer with that sequence of murders of Ahmed Aubrey and Rihanna Taylor and George Floyd, that really gave the nation a pause,

that we really have a lot of work to do in terms of race relations in this country. And with each successive thing like this, and it's such an unfortunate price and a sacrifice that lives have to be lost, black lives have to be lost for America develop a consciousness about themselves. Like at a certain point, it's just a price too high to pay.

But if anything can be brought about as a result of it, is that we become more serious and that the, The need to change becomes hopefully more dire. And I don't feel it's happened yet. It hasn't gotten dire enough. We're still having these same conversations. But what I noticed with BAM, now when I started BAM in 2011, we're like in the height of the Obama years.

So most folks, black folks included, thought we were already in the promised land. Obama, we have a black president. We never thought we would see. we're good, right? Right. You know, there was even this mode of thought called post blackness, like that we're beyond it now. We're just beings on this planet. And then when we saw the amount, you know, black lives matter started under Obama.

That's something all too often forgotten. It's not a Trumpian phenomenon. Like it started while we had a black president. And we saw that he was very crippled in some senses of not being able to actually do anything about it. Um, so, uh, when I was talking about these things, it was just a very uncomfortable situation and a conversation. Now I've seen where I'm not even talking about it so much and everyone else is talking about this at the time.

I've seen institutions of higher learning now wanting to change their jazz departments, the black American music departments. Tulane university has already voted and they'll be starting their first, black American music track this coming fall. Wow. There's also talk at New England Conservatory of them doing the same thing. So now at that level, now we're talking about

the institutions of America, education, which is the primary foundation of thought in this country, that they're beginning to embrace and accept BAM for what it is, for what I was saying 10 years ago. But it takes time. And not unlike the music itself, You know, I think about someone like the Lonious Monk, who I think he wrote something like 52 tunes or something like that. A lot of the tunes that were on those records that achieved more popular fame, he had recorded 10 years ago already.

People had just gotten hit to his music. So he had the fortitude to Soldier for his vision. He didn't write more new tunes. He just said, I'm going to keep playing these songs until people actually hear them. And it's become a very important part of the fabric of the sound of American music. So that's the band part of where I see all of this. In terms of the music itself and its viability, me hanging on Frenchman Street, I'm noticing a younger crowd.

It's almost like we're at the brink of another roaring 20s, which was very similar to coming out of the Spanish flu and people being cooped up. And then when they transit with that and people started going out and here's Louis Armstrong, we are at the precipice of that moment again right now that I'm noticing the crowds I've been hanging out at this spot, which is like one of my favorite. I'll go in and say it's my favorite spot right now to hang out, called the Royal Frenchman. And it's a hotel, but they have a courtyard outside. So there's different types of venue in the same space.

outside courtyard and then you have a lobby area which is kind of sleek and hip with a bar and then there's a bar next to that. It's a younger demographic. They're into the music. They're excited. They've been cooped up in their houses for the last year and a half.

And they're happy to see people in music. And I hear people like hollering at the music in the appropriate places. Like when you listen to Charlie Parker albums from the 40s. And these are kids... Do we lose them? My whole thing. I just said try again on the stream yard stream.

Hello. I'm going back. See, you can get back in. Okay. Hey, sorry, we lost you for a second. Cool. Can you hear us? Okay.

Charlie Parker, we lost you a Charlie Parker record in the 40s. If you can pick up there, please. But yeah, but I'm hearing people hollering in the appropriate places in the music. Like a Charlie Parker album in the 40s. And what I'm saying now is we have an opportunity to develop younger, newer generations.

Nothing against older folks. We got you all, I'm not being an agent. So I don't want to say that we want to abandon our older audiences, but we need to develop younger ones if this music is to continue to live. And the demographic for the music can't be younger than the audience itself. Right. So that's what I'm saying. So I would actually encourage everyone in their respective cities

and their locales to develop this kind of scene for the music again. Because people are hungry for it. Again, they've been cooped up in their houses. They're ready to get out safely, of course. And if you can connect with them in this moment, you will establish a relationship that will carry them throughout the rest of their lives. Yeah. So I think it's really up to us how we want to steer this ship.

it's a bold an opportunity. We can look at it on the negative side, but I choose to look at it on a positive side. Yeah, we've been out of work and it's been a depressed kind of state, but out of these things can come great reward. You know, as they say, no mud, no lotus. You know, what are we going to take this opportunity?

You want to take these lemons and make lemonade. That's how I choose to look at it. And we are at the brink, from what I'm seeing happening at the Royal Frenchman, we have to brink of another ruling 20s and making this music a viable part of the fabric of society once again. That's great. That's great. Yeah. So I love, okay, so I wrote down Royal Frenchman because that's apparently developed since I was there 14 months ago. So I'm going to be there.

You got to take me there when I come back. Yeah, that's not. But now how, now I'm assuming, because I know this is coming from you that that's not the, you know, hopefully the trend that I had seen over the past few years in New Orleans, not always just on Frenchman Street, but definitely as it's exploded, because I remember, as you do, when Frenchman was like dead. I mean, it was like Snug Harbor and Cafe Brazil and what was the, and Istanbul, kind of, if they were open, if they do. But, but then there's the whole like two lanes, not, I mean, not just too late, kind of out of, out of town university student trying to play brass band music on the corner, which I was starting to see

take off like how do we avoid yeah well it's a mixed bag yeah it's at risk of gentrification if not been completely gentrified already you know like i remember when the proline connection was thriving right on that corner right now it's a willie maize chicken shack which people think it's some old new orleans institution right but it's not it's a fairly new construct no disrespect to willie maize but it's not an old new Orleans institution um and frenchman has kind of become a Bourbon Street annex. So it's all, it's, it's, it's become very commodified in a way of, at, when you're talking about when it was just snug in Brazil and Istanbul, it was a true artist hang.

Right. And people who were there, they were really there for the music. Now it's kind of like, everyone is like, no, Bourbon Street is not hit. When you're really hit, you go down a Frenchman. Right. But if everybody knows it's not hit, right? Exactly. So you got to keep going further.

Yeah, yeah. It's not as underground as people want to believe it is. It's just an alternative to Burm Street. However, we can take this as an opportunity. Yes. You know, because those people don't know what they're coming to see. So if you can provide them with, even though they may come for bullshit, if you put real music there in that space,

they can't help but be affected by that. And to me, again, it's about the artist taking that bull by the horns and taking control of that situation and making the most out of it. You can shit on it and say Frenchman ain't shit and it's a bunch of tourists and a bunch of, you know, gentrifiers and hippies and hipsters. No, but then use it as a teachable moment. This is a potential to develop a new audience. Right. And that's how I choose to look at it.

No, that's great. That's, that's fantastic. And New Orleans is a place. I mean, anywhere it could be, but New Orleans lends itself because you've got that, that tradition of cultural joy and awareness that's ingratious. that's ingrained, at least in the people that have been there. And it's so pervasive that it does spread to other people from Iowa or Missouri or whatever if they don't realize it. And that's part of the allure and the joy. Yeah, if you just give them the corny strip clubs on Burbank Street, they're like, wow, you know, this is great.

I love doing knowledge. You know, and it's like an SNL sketch. But I love the way that you're describing it and the hope of that. Since we're talking about the old days on Frenchman Street, I want to give you a quick little, Rapid Fire. Oh, here we go. No, no, I'll see. I'm going to throw some stuff out from the past and see what Nick remembers.

Because I have the feeling he remembers. I already know because he's talking about the jazz futures and stuff that I don't remember. But I want to see if you remember this. Moon over Miami. Do you remember the show? Vaguely. Okay. When, Lincoln was doing the score for that.

Delphio, Delphio. Delphio. Delphio, right. Okay. So do you remember the time? Remember the studio we used to record that out at the guy's house in New Orleans East. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Amos and Andy's studio. Amos and Andy's.

Did we rename it Amos and Andrews studios? It was so disrespectful. What? Yeah, Darrell, who's now the sound engineer at the Marcellus Center, actually. Okay. We had a so disrespectful to call those kids. We were young and Delva. I know.

Yeah. And he was like older this. He's probably like, man, I hate these punks. Because didn't we say it like to, didn't we just start calling it then? But that was kind of Delphor's fault. It was Amos and Andy's studio. Did Delphio like have his assistant send out like printed things with that written like an itinerary or something? Yeah, I'm, I'm holding on to it's Delphio's fault.

But, okay, do you remember when? Okay, so just to frame this for everyone, this is back, you know, network television still was like a thing. And they had a show short-lived, not because of the way of what we. did with the, well, maybe because of what we did. But I mean, it was like, jazz, man. Exactly. So, but I mean, this was like a legit ABC, like,

had a pilot. Remember we did the pilot and everything, the music for it? And this is back of the days when like nothing was done outside of LA because you had like big reels and stuff that had to be sent. But they would send them by Delta like on the plane because they had to get it to New Orleans. And then Delphield would write the music and he'd have us all in Amos and Andrews studio. And we would just record all the stuff.

But then a bunch of episodes kind of went by and then I think that's when Delphio got the gig with Elvin Jones actually or he got some gig because I remember and then it looked like the show was going to get canceled anyway. So he kind of abandoned it and you and I were out at AMA. Let's just call it A&A studios. I feel better about that. But we were out there and Delphia kind of like just left us to notice. It's like do whatever you can, bro. You know, he just left you the gig? Yeah, he just left us like we're out there And we've got like the videotapes of the thing And it was like little like notes on what to do But I remember like I played some piano or keys Whatever I don't even know if they had a piano We had some kind of keys or something

But Nicholas you played every other part Like like we both kind of wrote some stuff Because they were like we want some Miles Davisy whatever And so we're watching like on the screen As the things go about like kind of just improvising And Nick is like at the drums And then he's like overdub in the bass And then he's like trumpet and stuff.

But Nicholas played every single instrument except for the piano. And we, in like a matter of like three hours, knocked out that whole 60-minute episode. Damn, I forgot all about that. So you got me on that one. Okay, good. Good. Good. Well, I'd love to hear it and see it.

Because as I recall, it was some hips. I remember. What was it called? What was the name of the show? It was called Moon Over Miami. And it was like. Isn't that a dish at Denny's? It sounds like it.

But I mean, it was like an abyss. I think it was ABC. It was like a real show. It just didn't last very long. Okay, let me see if I had some other words. Jazz Futures we talked about. Snug Harbor we talked about. Oh, man, that's all I can remember.

That's great podcasting right there, man. Hey, Pete, you remember a time machine? Yes, time machine. Okay. Time machine, bro. That's a group that a lot of people don't know. It was my group started it around, I guess, end of 98, which was actually the precursor to my Sonic Trans project.

Yes. This is, I don't know if I ever told you this, but I actually tried to get us to do an album on Verve. Wow. And I gave Richard Seidel, Richard Seidel, the Anarchia, a tape of one of our gigs. Yeah. And he was just kind of like,

yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's too electric, you can't do that. Yeah. And that's really how Nick at Night came about, which is why I had the harpsichore. and the Chaleste because they wouldn't let me go full on electronic. So I tried to think of acoustic instruments.

So the Chalest to me was kind of like a rose and the harpsichord was a little bit like a clad. Right. But yeah, that band was very, for me, very pivotal to my transition into playing more funk-oriented electronic music. Yeah, it was a great band and some of my best musical memory. So just to frame it, Kent Jordan. You remember Kent Jordan was in that man. Kent Jordan, Steve Mazakowski. But remember the original guitarist, the very first rehearsal.

See, I'm going to stump you on this, I think. The very first rehearsal, I think, was at my crib on DeSoto by the fairgrounds. And I don't know if Steve couldn't make it, but it was Mark Whitfield. Yeah. Well, you know what? Yeah. Because the guy who kind of inspired me to do it was I saw a gig with Mark. and you were on roads.

I forget who else was in the bank. But y'all were playing like some George Benson stuff. And there was a percussionist. I forget who was on percussion. Wait, Mark Whitfield was playing some George Benson stuff? What? But yeah, but seeing y'all do that gig at a snub, I was like, man, I want to do something like that.

So that's probably why Mark was at that. Okay. Chris Severin on bass. Chris Severin. I'm going to see if I can remember the whole band. Adonis Rose on drums, of course. Mm-hmm. Was that it?

Oh, no. Daniel Andrews made the first gig or so on percussion. And then I eventually got Kenyatta Simon. Kenyatta Simon. Kniata Simon, right, that's right. And then later Bryce replaced Kent. That's right, that's right, Bryce Winston. And then later I added Philip Manuel to send.

Dang, that's the one I was hoping you were gonna forget. I was like, I'm gonna get a Phil Manuel on vocals. Yeah, yeah, Philip, yeah. That was a great band, man. We played at Jazz Fest one year. I remember had a really, really fun set and Snug Harbor. And didn't we play at the, what was the other, now I'm going to get in some bad podcasting as we, as we go across old forgotten venues in the 90s, New Orleans.

People love to watch you think about that kind of stuff. We played on the boat, Bally's Casino one time. Oh, we did. Right. That's right. That same venue at Bally's, that was the time. I was supposed to play, see if you remember this one, with Freddie Hubbard.

Remember they were going to have? Remember he was kind of bringing in cats? And he had like the local rhythm section. I think it was like me and Adonis and Paul Fis was on. Paul Fis. Yeah. And, you know, Freddie, classic Freddie, like decided not to come or like he said he was sick and he was going to come.

And they got you to replace him, remember? Didn't they? Yeah. And so we did the gig. And then remember we went over to the showcase where I think you had, either you had a, you already had another gig or somebody had a gig and we were going sit in and it turned out Freddie did come into town and came to the other day he said he came to the game he was in town the whole time he was in town and they came to our second game

well see man this is this brings home you got to show up to the gig that's right that's right that's right Freddie missed his game he showed up to the hang it's more important it's more important to make the hang that's right as long it's a game Doesn't even have to be the... That's right. That's right. Well, as we're coming out of this thing, hopefully, what's new for you? What's next for you?

What's coming up for you musically? Sure, sure. 2021 has been quite fruitful so far. I started it off with the new symphonic work commissioned by the Louisiana Philharmonic. It's called Gold Dust Black Magic. Actually just posted the first movement on my Instagram today. I'll be posting more movements in the next couple weeks. It's 26 minutes long, and it's basically a narrative about love,

and each movement represents a different stage of romantic relationship. After that, I have been talking about the whole, the whole, well, for years I've been trying to work with Ron Carter, and we played on various gigs. We did the Kansas City movie together, with Robert Altman back in like 96. We played on a couple of Miles tributes. I made a James Williams album with him.

But I've been really angling to try to work with Ron Carter for the past 20, 30 years. And he finally agreed to do one of my albums. But then COVID hit. So we were trying to wait for the right moment for it to be safe. So he was like, you know, as soon as I get vaccinated, we can do it. So he got his stuff cool. He was like, I'm cool.

After April 1st, I'm available. So he picked a date. Kareen Riggins is on drums, Ron is on bass, myself on keys and trumpet. And we also got George Coleman to guest on a couple tunes. So this was really like a dream band for me. Kareem has been a long time friend and collaborator. Yes.

Ron, I grew up hearing, my father was friends with him. My father is a bassist, so my dad actually took lessons with him way back in the 70s and they were good friends. So the album that really is chiefly responsible for me setting out on this path professionally was For and More by Miles Davis. And though I come up from the musical family in New Orleans, been around this music all my life, hearing that album at 11 years old was like me hearing the music for the first time. I had already started doing some gigs.

I was in the James Andrews band, who's Tremont Shorty's eldest brother. He had a brass band called the All-Star Brass Band. We were based in Tremay, which is the area right across the street from Armstrong Park and Congo Square. So I started doing some gigs with them and different people around town. So this is the first time me going to my father's record collection because I had my own records. I was listening to rap and Michael Jackson and all that stuff. But I went to go to my father's albums and see, like, well, you know, let me pick out something. Because I heard things they played, but I never made the conscious choice to listen to it on my own volition.

So, like, oh, Miles Davis is the name I recognize for him. Well, let me listen to this. And I put it on side too first. And from the moment I heard, like, that intro with Tony on the drums on the sock symbol. Though I've been around this reason, my whole life, I'm like, I want to do this for real. and I wore that album out every day. So to have had two people on my album from that album is just such a full-circle moment for me

and almost like a manifestation of me. Like when I was 11 years old, I would pretend I was in a band and pretend I would take him miles and solo and pretend I was listening to George and Irby and all those guys. And I really did that last week. So I'm still kind of riding high from being blessed. by those cast to be on my album,

which would come on on Smoke Records sometime as fall. Awesome. Man, Smoke Records has kind of been killing it lately. I know. I mean, with the music and the artwork and the LPs and stuff, I think that that's some great stuff. How did you end up hooking up with that?

Well, Paul Stash, who's the proprietor, had been hitting me up for a while at work at the club. We started doing a couple of gigs. And I kind of felt like I wanted to work in partnership with someone because, of course, I had my own label. But again, this music is ultimately a communal music. And I think most big moves require some type of partnership to happen. Just like you guys have, you know.

Like, sure, you can do things by yourself. But I think things are better when you work in conjunction with other people. You hear that out? You hear what he's saying? That's what? I knew there was snark. I knew there was going to be snark coming. I did not tell, see, Nick, great minds think alike.

That's what I'm talking about. See? So after me doing a couple gigs there, I was like, man, you know, let's, you know, let's talk about doing something. So I did my first album for them at the end of 2019, relaxing with Nick. Yeah. And so this next one coming up is called Smoke Sessions. And it's actually Smoke Sessions Records. So this will kind of be a flagship album of sorts for the label.

Awesome. Well, that's great. Well, we will look forward to that. And I know, you know, Adam and I are, we have our own little relationship with Mr. Carter, too. So we can talk about that another time. But, you know. No, that was a great show, man. I enjoyed that.

No, it was fun. And I kind of, it's interesting you say about four and more, because for me, the record My Funny Valentine, which of course was from the same concert, that, and I don't know. I mean, I'm sure we probably talked about this. Well, actually, this is the great thing about doing this. I don't think of all the times we've hung out and stuff, we'd never really talk about music in this way. Not as much as folks probably think we do. But I didn't really, I never knew that about you about that record. And it's so parallel.

Because for me, it was like when I heard that introduction, I mean, you're in the whole. record but I remember particularly the introduction that Herbie plays on Stella I was like man I want to do that I was like I play piano but I can't do that so maybe it's within my realm but I mean it was just and then for me just getting and everything and it was as much Ron and George Coleman and Miles there's something in the air with that album yeah those two yeah yeah and it was fun because we I don't remember if we if it made it on to the podcast with Ron but I asked him about I was trying to get him to go in more about the concert and he went in a lot

about Miles but it was funny him and I've asked Herbie about that before I won't because I always hear different things about how they were really upset and how Miles didn't pay him I was talking about that at this session benefit right right right right but um and and basically Miles gave their money away to the cause

and Ron was like well you should ask this maybe you don't want to give out of that car right and you know you know how Ron is like he said it just like even today it was not like he was a bashful or whatever you know but I I I I did ask him. That was kind of part of what we were asking him about if,

I don't think I artfully asked the question. I was just so intimidated and just so happy to be there. But I wanted to know if he thought, because, you know, the thing with Miles, I think everybody's just like, oh yeah, Miles had all that planned out. Like he probably,

he might not even give him more of the money. He might have kept it, whatever. But like he timed it out that he told him that right before they're about to go on state so he could elicit a certain emotion. Yeah, yeah, but I kind of asked Ron about that.

He was sort of like, what? No, he just gave our money away or whatever, you know. But I always wonder how much it's like, like Miles, they calculating genius and then, or Miles just messing with them or Miles getting lucky or just hiring the right people. There's always that too. I think there's a little bit of that. I don't know, you know, I've actually heard Ron talk about the fact that oftentimes Miles will call so what like and it'll be up there and like, Ron saying how like he never felt comfortable starting the gig. It's always like we start like this. to the races you know i think there's knowing what i know about miles and i didn't know him personally

really at all met him once but like there may be some some bit of that spengali type of you know i'm going to create this dynamic by which you know they're going to have to rise to the occasion right just a little bit of of uh conflict i love it to put that in your system before and like you create something out of it i love it man Cats getting too soft today. That's right. Exactly. That's part of all that you got to be in person to do that stuff, though.

But I would just one more thing and then we're going to let you go, Nick. And I mean, appreciate your time. And I know folks are. I'm not ready to go. I just see it. All right. Don't let me go. No, I'm going to let you go.

No, but I was wondering about, you know, what you were saying about the different generations and the young cats now looking back to the 90s and the way we look back, you know, like to Herbie and Ron and Wayne and that generation. but I wonder it was so arresting for Adam and I, I think, to receive this call from Ron Carter's assistant. Like, you know, Mr. Carter would like to set up a Zoom call. And my first thing was like, Ron Carter is on Zoom. He, even Ron has to be on Zoom. Poor guy, you know.

But I mean, it was just so, it was just like different worlds, you know, it was like a collision. But then when we got in there, we were talking with it, because we had a whole conversation before we did the podcast, he just wanted to to talk to us and I was just like man this dude is truly bored but he wants to like but I mean at first of course I thought he wanted to dispute what we said because we did a whole episode about baselines and he would you know the seven greatest baselines and he happened to play as he would two of them you know but it wasn't like a Ron Carter episode but I was like I was like I'm like we're going to learn something he won't learn anything but we'll learn something at least but then after talking to him I realized it's like he's such a you know and it's I mean you

would know way better having just recorded and worked with him but You know, at age 83 or 84 now, I think. He's so engaged mentally and so together in this is so, I mean, him and Herbie, too, like, it's almost like they are at, it's not about have they maintained. They may be at the very, very top of their game because they've got the mind, they've got the chops. And Ron was talking about how he practices 10 minutes more every day. I was like, dude, stop. Just stop at this point.

You got it, you know. But they, but he wants to be engaged, you know. He doesn't have to go record with you. He definitely doesn't have to go record with you. definitely not have to sit on a Zoom with us, but he wants to be engaged. And so it's a precious thing that we're getting that from them. It does. And really the scheduling, the biggest hiccup was him being committed to teaching his students three times a week. He was like, we had like these two-day windows by which we had to work between because he was like, he's not canceling his

lessons with his students. Right. That's important to him. Right. Right. So to your point, like, Yeah, he really actively wants to be engaged. Yes. And I'll tell you, like, he showed up to the session. And I was a bit nervous because I heard stories about Ron, like blasting cats. Yeah. And sessions, particularly piano players. So I was like, man, he's going to drive the fuck out of me.

Totally cool. Totally in service to the music. None of that shit I had heard about was present. To the contrary, he was very humble and very much in service. Like, what do you want? Nicholas, like, and just play this ass off, like, just crazy. Yeah. Yeah, but see, you, you know, I got to do all my fake herbie shit.

Well, you're like sneaking it in at first to see if he let you. Yeah, man. Yeah, but see, you know, believe me, he vibes sad piano players. You just had an experience. Yeah, well, I felt good, man. And George Coleman, look, George Coleman told me, man, Nicholas, I love your piano playing. And he said, I love your core changes. For George Coleman, the king of course, substitutions at the time of that.

I'm retiring. You'll hear it. I'm officially retired. You're an open studio. That's so awesome. So I know I just keep saying one more thing with this, but since you did say you had a minute, see? Let's go.

Hold on before we move on. When does that album come out again? Can you say again that the session? In the fall sometimes. Maybe October. Cool. We don't have a set release date yet, but yeah, this fall. Well, let's just keep rolling.

You got anything to do, Adam? I mean, if you do, you can, I mean, as long as one of us here, let's do this. I'm still in a pandemic, man. What did I say about camaraderie? I know. Look, I'm like, if you're good, I'm good. Well, I was just thinking of something because it was so fun this morning. I did a quick, full disclosure.

I did a quick, deep dive. I got nervous all of a sudden at the last minute when you agreed to do this interview. I was like, man, this isn't going to be like Ron Carter. I was like, I've known necklace for so long. It's just, but I woke up this morning panicked. I was like, wait, I got to do a deep dive and really. learn about Nicholas. I'm like on Wikipedia and stuff. But I was looking up just different videos and actually some of my favorite videos of yours aren't even up on YouTube like the Newport

Jazz Festival. I think that's gotten taken down. But I would just recommend for folks since you're talking about your piano playing, the tiny desk, I think, I don't know how you feel about that performance, but I think that's such a great representation of your like, keyboard concept in such a clear way. I mean, of course, you're playing trumpet and stuff too, but I love like just the way you play it. I'd highly recommend unless you tell folks not to. You know, and now they're really gonna wanna go

if you say that. How do you feel about that show? Well, there were a lot of challenges behind the scenes. So I feel it was cool and had a great band with me, Ben Williams and Jonathan Barber played beautifully. I had just come back from Europe. I was super jet-ladged. I didn't feel like getting on a

flight so I had my manager's assistant drive me there I had a gig that night with Kevin Eubanks at Birdland at the time so I had to drive there during the day do the tiny desk the roads was super weird I mean it was like kind of like the second most fucked up roads I've ever played and I only say the second worst because I can't remember the first that's saying something for a road it was really bad yeah yeah and I was like fuck but you know it came off I feel cool about the performance but they were definitely a lot of challenges there's no monitors in that space right so you have to hear and you have to play very quiet to get a balance that's why you see like there's not a lot of full-out drumming there like drummers are

using those like fake brush things I don't know blastics yeah they're using nose uh when we did the ballad Othello you see our drummer Jonathan barb he's playing with his hand Yeah. We were playing super soft. Now on the mic, it sounds present, but we were playing at a whispers. You know, you can hear a rat pissing on cotton. That's all. So, you know, it was challenging, but yeah, I think it was cool.

And as you said, I think it's a cool representation of like the different stuff that I do. So, yeah, I would say check it out for sure. Cool. Well, it's good because we already linked to it in the description to this video. So not that we couldn't change that, you know. No, that's cool. I'm just thinking of other, like, you know, like I mentioned before, Nick at night, I think that's such a, you know, a great record. And I didn't even realize now it totally makes sense.

You said that came out of the time machine thing. And that's not even why. I just think that that, like, I think that that is one of the great groups or quintets that came along during that period of the 90s. And it's kind of convenient. It went, I know, beyond the 90s, but it's sort of convenient in that that's the decade, that it's sort of. of Ress, Ruben Rogers, Tim Warfield, Adonis Rose, Anthony Wansy. But I know you were talking a couple years ago about possibly bringing back that, like kind of a reunion or revival.

What's happening? Is that still possible? And also, I don't know if you remember Pete, but you were actually the first person to play that music. We did a gig at Snub Harbor before I flew to New York to record. So I used that gig as a demo for Wanzi. and reuben in those guys to hear the music we did a gig with bryce me yourself i forget he was on jason stewer yeah yeah and we played all that music wow at snub harbor cool i mean i remember

the music i didn't remember that was the because that was like back to the source and uh man that's some great after that yeah after that actually it's like uh beyond the stars all that stuff all that stuff with the who composed stuff right right right but um anyway yeah we we would the quintet was supposed to reunite goddamn COVID in 2020 at the Jazz Showcase Oh right, right, right. December.

Right. Yeah. We're talking about trying to maybe do it this December into New Year's, but we don't know what the status will be

with things opening up or not. But if all, all goes well, that'll happen this December at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Oh, that'll be great.

I mean, it's such a great venue and, you know, just so folks know that Nicholas, some of you know, because I've heard from you a bunch of you on this, but Nicholas headed up an amazing tribute to Roy Hargrove

that we did, unofficial, or maybe it was official, I can't remember. It was a very spiritual and musical tribute to Roy Hargrove. It very heartfelt just a couple months after his passing at the showcase.

People still talking about that one. Yeah, no, it was an amazing, yeah, it was an amazing thing. It was a great week. I felt like Roy was there. Yes.

It felt like he was in the room. Yes, absolutely. And, you know, Nicholas put together a group of musicians, all of which played with Roy. And I mean, we had played at different times with him during that week in Chicago, you know, at the old showcase. So it was like that whole connection. That was his tradition there during that time, right? Exactly. Exactly. But that was a really wonderful thing. So that was the last. So that was two years ago. And then, yeah, last year was canceled. That's right. Wow. That's how time goes. So what, what's the last? happening with the clubs in New Orleans now? Like what is the level of stuff opening and people's willingness to come out? Things are starting to open up. I had my first indoor gig two weekends ago at Tipitinas. My first indoor gig in the last year and a half. So yeah, that was cool. Things are opening up. Things are spread out Tipitinas, which is normally standing room only. They're now seated reservations ahead of time. tables have to be so far, spread, and so forth.

So things are opening, depending on the type of venue and the setup, if it's outside or not, the regulations are different. Right, right, right, right. But there's definitely music both indoors and outside right now, whereas for the long as it was on the outside. Right. Cool. Well, man, thank you so much, Nick.

This has been, like, just really cool. And I know that folks are appreciative always to hear you. talking about music and talking about these kind of things that are, you know, it's not just, hey, I've got a new record coming out and jazz is awesome. Jazz is awesome, dude, you know. And, you know, these things that are really, I think over this past decade, as you alluded to since, you know, you first, actually, it's funny, you talk about the tweets. You've always been ahead of the game with the social media thing because I'm just

remember you said about the tweets became the essay, became the, the, blog. But before that, I remember when you, I remember the email, the Nick Payton private email, that was like, yeah, before social media. Before, like Nick had his own social network happening at him. But he was doing it via email because that was the only thing that you could do. That was all you had, yeah. But it was like a thing. If you got on the, you know, man, did you get the email? No, I want to see if I can get on the thing. Can you find? No, I don't, because I remember people asking me. They're like, oh, you get his email. Like, yeah. And they're like, can you forward it? I was kind of like, no. I was like, oh, I don't want to be that guy because then Nick will be like, yo, you're not

listen anymore because you shouldn't afford it that last time. But, you know, so I would just say, you know, on behalf of a lot of folks, man, keep on, you know, playing, of course, this and this and all you do, but keep on speaking and keep on, you know, helping all of us and leading because it's, it's needed. And I love your optimistic tone coming out. That makes me feel great just hearing that because it confirms what I wanted to hear. But also because I know if it's coming from you, it's got some some force and some will behind it. So much appreciated and much love to you. Always.

Love you. Yeah, love you, man. And come on anytime we're here every Monday. It's me and this guy, see? It's pop in. And it's popping. We're going to get the sound happening next time. But this will be up on the podcast on Thursday for everybody with pristine audio.

Wait, did you press record? I did. Okay. We're going to re-upload. We'll re-upload the YouTube conversation with the pristine audio as well, right? Right after this. You got to understand, Nick, we've been in here like this whole time. So can you kind of say,

us. We're across from each other here. Throw this right at you there. Yeah, we throw, we have plexiglass. We are COVID safe up in here, you know. It's like a sneeze guard, man, like at the Ponderosa. So, uh, thanks so much, Nick. Thanks, everybody for tuning in. Thanks, Adam.

And, um, until next time, you'll hear it. Boom. Man.