Nicholas Payton Band September 13, 2009

Even though New Orleans native trumpeter Nicholas Payton had already performed with jazz legends Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Smith and others, he was barely into his 20s when he became a band-leader and made his major label recording debut. Now Payton is the brightest among a new generation of trumpeters who pay homage to the classic sounds of Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis while exploring new and contemporary sounds near the boundaries of jazz.