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Todd Barkan’s
Keystone Korner Nights
Presents:
Nicholas Payton XXX
www.nicholaspayton.com
Featuring:
Nicholas Payton on Trumpet and Pianos
Vicente Archer on Bass
Lenny White on Drums
At
The Iridium
Todd Barkan: Keystone Korner Nights Producer & Host
www.toddbarkan.com
1650 Broadway, Corner of 51st St, NYC
212.582.2121
www.theiridium.com
Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
March 2, 2013
Click Here to Read a Review of Keystone Korner: Portrait of a Jazz Club
Todd Barkan, formerly the Programming Director at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, has just inaugurated a fantastic lineup of top class jazz events at The Iridium, on Broadway, called Keystone Korner Nights. I caught up with Todd, and Nick Payton as well, at The Iridium tonight, and the mood of this renowned club was vibrant and state-of-the-art. I’ve reviewed Nicholas Payton in past years on trumpet, with both his intimate and expansive bands, but tonight, here he was, with a jazzy hat and beard, playing a Fender Rhodes electric piano, a Steinway acoustic grand piano, and, of course, his trumpet. Onstage with Nick were Vicente Archer on bass and Lenny White on drums. The concept was progressive, spontaneous, and magnetic.
It was the second set, and Nick began with melodic, sultry tones on the Fender Rhodes, with languorous bass and a touch of drumsticks and cymbals. A bit of Bossa beat ensued, while Nick played trumpet with his right hand and the Fender Rhodes with his left. Intermittently, he stretched out to the Steinway, giving the trumpet or electric chords a rest. This music was a fusion of blues and midnight jazz. The volume picked up, and atonality added edge and tension, where harmonies still lingered. Soon the trio’s music was funky and bedeviled, as the electric notes rose higher and higher. The piece ended with fluttering steam. This trio was hot and hip. The limits of Payton’s trumpet were tested and twisted for endless, breathless minutes, before the music took on a chugging pace. In the wink of an eye, the rhythms went wild, and I imagined a cool conga line, snaking its way from stage to upstairs seats. A mellow hypnotic effect took over, and Archer’s bass seemed rich and refined, while White’s drums provided the powerful pulse that drove the moment. Payton’s arrangements were danceable, almost sing-able.
In fact, at one point, in the set, Payton took the mic and sang along with his electronic tune. The voluminous range and ornamentations of the Fender Rhodes transported the listener’s imagination. An echoing conversation of piano, drums, and bass filled the club with breezy atmospherics. It was apparent, though, that the high point of the set, for this audience, was the occasional trumpet surprise, of those indefatigable solo notes. Another high point was the Fender Rhodes’ sonority, so voluminous that the band seemed orchestral, especially with Payton on three revolving instruments. The eeriness of the piece before closing comments was contrasted with the finale, a stunning rendition of “The Days of Wine and Roses”. The crowd was vocally appreciative. Kudos to Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium.
Nicholas Payton on Electric Piano
Vicente Archer on Bass
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nicholas Payton on Piano
Vicente Archer on Bass
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nicholas Payton on Trumpet and Electric Piano
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nicholas Payton on Electric Piano
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Lenny White on Drums
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Vicente Archer on Bass
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nicholas Payton on Vocals
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Nicholas Payton on Trumpet
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Todd Barkan Thanks the Audience
at Keystone Korner Nights at The Iridium
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
Anna Sala, Musician Manager,
Todd Barkan, Keystone Korner Producer and Host,
and Nicholas Payton at Leisure
Courtesy of Roberta Zlokower
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