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Nicholas Payton and Don Byron
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Nicholas Payton The Crimson Touch
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Don Byron Cleo's Mood
artist personnel
Nicholas Payton nicholas payton trumpet vicente archer bass Don Byron don byron clarinet, tenor saxophone Itvá bittova vocals, violin
Nicholas Payton Don Byron with special guest Iva Bittová friday, october 30, 8PM grace cathedral
$35 General Admission| $60 Premium GA buy tickets

The soaring sanctuary of Grace Cathedral provides an inspired setting for the celebrated SFJAZZ Sacred Space series, which this season features solo sets by two singularly gifted artists. A native of New Orleans, Grammy® Award-winning trumpeter Nicholas Payton knows all about summoning the spirit with his horn. As a former member of the SFJAZZ Collective, he has performed often in the Bay Area, but this solo recital will be a first. With his huge, burnished tone and full command of trumpet history from Satchmo through Freddie Hubbard, Payton has firmly established himself as one of the premier jazz artists of our time. After a series of extroverted albums for Verve, Payton released Into the Blue last year on Nonesuch, an elegant yet warm and funky session that reflects the depth of his New Orleans roots.

Not content being hailed as the most prodigious jazz clarinetist of the past quarter century, Don Byron has recently reclaimed his voice on the tenor saxophone. Over the past 25 years, he’s released a staggering array of conceptually rich projects on Nonesuch and Blue Note, exploring everything from the klezmer music of Mickey Katz and the R&B of Junior Walker to operatic arias and Afro-Cuban grooves. This unprecedented Grace gig includes several duets with Byron joined by Czech vocalist and violinist Iva Bittová, a mesmerizing improviser who first gained attention in the West through her work with renegade guitarist Fred Frith. Topping off the extraordinary evening, the finale features a highly anticipated encounter between Byron and Payton, two of this era’s more impressive jazz instrumentalists.

“Nicholas Payton is well on his way to being the most important trumpeter of his generation.” los angeles times “Byron has carpentered an extraordinary career precisely by obliterating the very idea of category.” time Magazine