Photo: Tulane Public Relations, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pianists · b. 1973

Nicholas Payton

American musician

Born: 26 September 1973
New Orleans
Country: United States
Active: 1990–
Record labels: Verve Records
Discography: 27 albums

Biography

Nicholas Payton is a jazz musician who plays piano, trumpet and flugelhorn. Nicholas Payton was born on 26 September 1973 in New Orleans. The music is usually filed under jazz and rhythm and blues. Record labels: Verve Records. The discography here lists 27 albums, from “From This Moment...” (1995) to “A Supreme Blue” (2026).

Nicholas Payton (born September 26, 1973) is an American trumpet player and multi-instrumentalist. A Grammy Award winner, he is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is also a writer who comments on subjects including music, race, politics, and life in America.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

From This Moment... 1995

Gumbo Nouveau 1996

Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock 1997

Payton’s Place 1998

Trumpet Legacy 1998

Nick@Night 2000

Dear Louis 2001

Sonic Trance 2003

Live in New York 1.24.04 2004 · Live

Mysterious Shorter 2006

Into the Blue 2008

Bitches 2011

Live at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2012 · Live

#BAM (Live at Bohemian Caverns) 2013 · Live

Sketches of Spain 2013 · Live

Numbers 2014

Letters 2015

Textures 2016

Afro-Caribbean Mixtape 2017

Relaxin' With Nick 2019

Quarantined With Nick 2020

Smoke Sessions 2021

The Couch Sessions 2022

Drip 2023

Triune 2025 · Smoke Sessions

notes from the zen gangster 2025

A Supreme Blue 2026 · Concord Jazz

Also plays on

Albums where Nicholas Payton is credited as a sideman

1992	Youngblood — Elvin Jones	trumpet
1993	It Don't Mean a Thing — Elvin Jones	trumpet
1995	Damn! — Jimmy Smith	trumpet
1995	Burnin' in the Woodhouse — Milt Jackson	trumpet
1996	Angel Eyes — Jimmy Smith	trumpet
1996	Big Band — Joe Henderson	trumpet
1999	American Music, Texas Style — Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown	trumpet
2003	A Little Moonlight — Dianne Reeves	trumpet
2004	Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 — Jill Scott	horn, trumpet
2005	Listen Here! — Eddie Palmieri	trumpet
2009	The Bright Mississippi — Allen Toussaint	trumpet
2014	Ske‐Dat‐De‐Dat: The Spirit of Satch — Dr. John	trumpet
2022	New Standards, Vol. 1 — Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton, Matthew Stevens	trumpet
2022	Reflections — Al Foster	trumpet
2023	Where Are We — Joshua Redman feat. Gabrielle Cavassa	trumpet

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Nicholas Payton play?

Nicholas Payton is known for playing piano, trumpet and flugelhorn.

When and where was Nicholas Payton born?

Nicholas Payton was born 26 September 1973 in New Orleans.

What are Nicholas Payton's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Triune (2025), A Supreme Blue (2026), From This Moment... (1995), Gumbo Nouveau (1996) and Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock (1997).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.