Nicholas Payton & the New Orleans All-Stars Big Band

Nicholas Payton is a New Orleans–raised trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist whose work moves between straight-ahead jazz and broader American song forms. A Grammy Award winner, he is also known as a public writer, using essays and commentary to address music alongside race, politics, and everyday life.

Nicholas Payton’s Louis Armstrong Centennial is a jazz program led by the New Orleans–raised trumpeter and Grammy Award winner Nicholas Payton, built around Armstrong’s legacy and the city that shaped it.

The New Orleans All-Stars Big Band is a jazz ensemble led by New Orleans–raised trumpeter Nicholas Payton, built in the big-band tradition but shaped by contemporary bandstand priorities. The group’s repertory moves between straight-ahead jazz language and broader American song forms, with space for featured guests such as Jon Batiste.