Another highly accomplished young trumpet player steps into the spotlight on this new release. He is surrounded by two (youngish) veterans and a couple of other promising newcomers like himself in Croft and Whitfield. Payton certainly paces himself intelligently on You Stepped Out Of A Dream with sympathetic support from Miller at the keyboard and a springy beat provided by Nash. Fair Weather is a pretty ballad by Kenny Dorham and the leader’s trumpet lines are mellow and lyrically fragile. His source of inspiration would appear to be Chet Baker rather than Dorham as he spins out very light, melodic long lines against gentle, cushioning rhythm.
Payton plays well and is quite inventive on It Could Happen To You but there is nothing distinctive about his sound and style that I could detect. Whitfield’s blues-based guitar and Veal’s natural sounding bass solo grab the attention on this selection. A tight Harmon mute is used on Little Re Re and inevitably recalls early Miles Davis. It is very melancholy, very plaintive and, I’m afraid, very derivative. Taking A Chance On Love has Payton producing a tight, pinched, muted sound and playing in the style and manner of mid-period Roy Eldridge.
The last time we saw the emergence of a number of bright young trumpeters was back in the fifties. But you didn’t need even a record sleeve to recognise Clifford Brown, Booker Little, Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard; they had personal, unique sounds of their own. I wish I could hear more than just passing resemblances to past masters in Payton because he has great technical assurance but, sadly, little or no originality.
Discography
In The Beginning; You Stepped Out Of A Dream; Fair Weather; Maria’s Melody; It Could Happen To You; Little Re Re; From This Moment On; Rhonda’s Smile; The Sleepwalker; Blues For My Brother; Taking A Chance On Love; To The Essential One (66.52)
Nicholas Payton (t); Mark Whitfield (elg); Monte Croft (vib); Mulgrew Miller (p); Reginald Veal (b); Lewis Nash (d). NYC, September 11 & 12, 1994.
(Verve 527 073-2)
