Music for Grownups: Grateful Dead, Nicholas Payton
By: Richard Gehr | Source: AARP.org | 2008-04-18
Richard Gehr is a veteran music critic based in New York City.
"Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings"
Grateful Dead Productions
Too much has always been just enough for Grateful Dead fans. So even
at a hundred bucks, this gorgeously packaged and impeccably mastered
10-CD box set, containing every note played by the band during a
particularly awesome three-night hometown run at San Francisco’s legendary venue, is still a deal. Not only was the band playing at the height of their collective ability, but the material was outstanding, even for a group many consider America's answer to the Beatles. The Dead repeat only a handful of
new songs, including "Bertha," "Weather Report Suite," and "Eyes of
the World," over the course of their six long sets. Each time, though, they play
with a new sense of musical curiosity. And that sounds like a bargain
to me. (Available at www.dead.net.)
Nicholas Payton
"Into the Blue"
Nonesuch
The 34-year-old New Orleans trumpeter evokes horn men ranging from
Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis to Chuck Mangione on this remarkably
smooth yet subtly sophisticated gem of an album. Insofar as it's his
ninth release, Payton has little to prove in terms of chops. Instead,
he hones to a rich middle ground, blending his lovely lyrical lines
into a comfortably funky yet consistently inventive rhythm section.
Equally suitable for dining, dancing, or serious listening, "Into the
Blue" includes love songs (such as "Drucilla," for Payton's wife), a
fine cover of Jerry Goldsmith's "Chinatown" theme, and one creamy
groove after another. Light jazz hasn't sounded quite so heavy in ages.
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