Smoke Sessions (Smoke Sessions Records)
Nicholas Payton
Released October 29, 2021
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
Arts Fuse 2021 Jazz Critics Poll Top 30 New Album
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nwbAbwOZQjx62P1A2I5mGgbN9fHuJNO_Y
Spotify:
About:
SMOKE SESSIONS is the realization of Nicholas Payton’s long-cherished dream to record with icons Ron Carter and George Coleman, abetted by his frequent collaborator Karriem Riggins.
For a young Nicholas Payton, Miles Davis’ 1966 album “FOUR” AND MORE, captured live two years earlier at Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall, provided a template for what music could – and should – be. Now long established as one of the most renowned musicians and composers on the scene, Payton has convened two of the legendary musicians who played with Davis on that album, bassist Ron Carter and, as a special guest on two tracks, saxophonist George Coleman, to craft some exemplary sounds of his own.
Far from a tribute or a look back, however, SMOKE SESSIONS is a wholly contemporary new album that vibrantly captures Payton’s open-eared blend of swing, funk, soul, and hip-hop influences with drummer Riggins’ expansive fluidity behind the kit and Carter’s renowned, rock-solid majesty on the bass. Payton seizes the opportunity to engage with that recognizable voice in multiple forms, taking both the Miles and Herbie roles as trumpeter, pianist, and keyboardist via the multi-instrumentalism that has become a thrilling trademark of his approach.
Track Listing:
1. Hangin’ in and Jivin’ (Nicholas Payton) 7:43
2. Big George (Nicholas Payton) 7:02
3. Levin’s Lope (Nicholas Payton) 6:48
4. No Lonely Nights (Keith Jarrett) 6:50
5. Lullaby for a Lamppost (for Danny Barker) Part 1 (Nicholas Payton) 6:30
6. Lullaby for a Lamppost (for Danny Barker) Part 2 (Nicholas Payton) 6:23
7. Q for Quincy Jones (Nicholas Payton) 4:35
8. Gold Dust Black Magic (Nicholas Payton) 5:29
9. Turn-a-Ron (Nicholas Payton) 6:39
10. Toys (Herbie Hancock) 9:19
Personnel:
Nicholas Payton: trumpet and piano
Karriem Riggins: drums
Ron Carter: bass
George Coleman: tenor saxophone (2, 10)
Recorded April 29 & 30, 2021 at Sear Sound, Studio C in New York City
Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Christopher Allen
Additional drum recording by Kyle Hoffmann, Sunset Sound Studio 3
Photography by Jimmy and Dena Katz
Band photography by Dean Myers
Designed by Damon Smith
Executive Producers: Paul Stache & Molly Johnson Associate Producer: Damon Smith
Review:
Enraptured by his first encounters with Miles Davis’ 1966 live recording ‘Four’ & More as a boy, trumpeter Nicholas Payton has been on the hunt ever since for the uniquely metronomic thump of Ron Carter’s bass accompaniment. Seemingly finding no adequate substitute, Payton’s latest LP, Smoke Sessions, sees him finally paired with the legendary bassist, alongside longtime drummer Karriem Riggins and guest features from another ‘Four’ & More alumnus, saxophonist George Coleman. The 10-track collection is far from a tribute to ‘Four,’ though, comprising non-Davis compositions that range from Riggins’ hip-hop swagger to Carter’s walking consistency and Payton’s own funk-inflected fluidity. Opener “Hangin’ And A’ Jivin’” sets the tone, with Payton playing his sprightly melody on the keys and taking an expansive, deep-swinging solo first behind the piano then on trumpet, while Riggins and Carter lock into a tessellated groove. Saxophonist Coleman then makes the first of two appearances on “Big George,” a tender balladic opening that morphs into a swampy funk, before his second showing on “Turn-a-Ron” gives him ample space to fly through chromatic 16th notes over Riggins’ brushstrokes. Payton’s skill comes in allowing room for Carter and Coleman’s virtuosity to shine, while placing them in subtly updated contexts. There is the J Dilla-esque beat of “Big George,” where Coleman swings to a boombap, for instance, while the version of Herbie Hancock’s “Toys” sees Carter play over almost atonal dissonance on the keys, before implementing a descending walking line. The suite “Lullaby For A Lampost,” dedicated to New Orleans jazz musician Danny Barker, meanwhile, artfully transposes a traditional funeral procession song into a neo-classical melodic minimalism. Here we hear Carter’s economy of phrasing, plucking plaintively over Riggins’ snare drum brushwork, before the second part of the 12-minute suite picks up the pace, swinging into a distorted funk that provides the momentum for a delicate solo from Payton. In this way, Payton showcases the timelessness of Carter and Coleman’s skill — their ineffable capacity to slot into new combinations and compositions with the open-eared willingness to swing. Theirs is the beating heart of jazz and long may its mantle be carried by Payton, Riggins and those yet to come.
Ammar Kalia (DownBeat)
