Nicholas Payton Essentials

Jazz trumpet titan Nicholas Payton started out as a prodigy, going pro by age 10 and cutting his solo debut when he was barely out of his teens. And while he's paid plenty of homage to his home turf of New Orleans, Payton's anything but a traditionalist. Over the years, he's lent his horn to everything from hard bop to fusion and electro-funk. It's his combination of deep roots and fearless exploration that's made him one of the most respected trumpeters of his generation.