Born in 1973 to an opera singer-pianist and a jazz bassist, Nicholas Payton most likely possessed a musical propensity flowing through his veins long before he ever picked up the trumpet.As a native of what many consider the birthplace of jazz -- New Orleans -- Payton fulfills just one of many fascinating traditions setting the city apart from others. It's the assembly of noteworthy and in some cases, the best trumpeters in the history of jazz. Buddy Boldin, Louis Armstrong, Leroy Jones, Wynton Marsalis and Terrence Blanchard all hailed from New Orleans; and Payton followed suit when he began playing the horn at the age of 4.
With his parents' vast record collection always within an arm's length, Payton unearthed the diverse and powerful world of music not only as a player but also as a listener. He eventually enrolled at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and later studied with Ellis Marsalis (Wynton's piano-playing father) at the University of New Orleans. The young player then went on to perform and record with some of the biggest names in jazz including Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Clark Terry and Jimmy Smith.
