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Multi-instrumentalist and composer Nicholas Payton assembles a trio of visionaries with bassist/vocalist esperanza spalding and drummer Karriem Riggins on the album, TRIUNE, which also features guest appearances by Ivan Neville, Erica Falls, Nikki Glaspie, and Otis McDonald
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There is no shortage of remarkable trios in the musical landscape, but few, besides the pathbreaking trumpet player, keyboardist, and composer Nicholas Payton, could bring together three true visionaries and synergize them into one singular creative voice.
“TRIUNE means ‘three in one,’ which is exactly how this trio functions,” Payton explains.
TRIUNE reconvenes a rhythm section that Payton originally assembled in 2010 for a quartet that also included the pianist Taylor Eigsti. Riggins could already boast a decade and a half of impressive credits at that time, bridging diverse areas of Black American Music. He had demonstrated his mastery of swing behind leaders including Mulgrew Miller, Ray Brown, Eric Reed, Oscar Peterson, and Milt Jackson.
At the time of that initial quartet, esperanza spalding was still a year away from her shocking Grammy Award win for Best New Artist, but she was a keenly watched rising star. Payton clearly recognized the versatility and soulfulness of the two players and was certain that chemistry would ensue.
The soaring trajectory of all three artists’ careers in the intervening years was the only obstacle in bringing them back together once more. “I’d tried over the years to reunite us, but they’re always so busy,” Payton explains. “This time, the planets aligned, and it finally worked. There was never any question of how it would work or how well—it was only a matter of timing.”
Nicholas Payton, esperanza spalding, and Karriem Riggins are three of the most distinctive and innovative minds in modern creative music. On TRIUNE, they speak with one singular, utterly captivating and joyous voice.
