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Hire Nicholas Payton for Your Event

We Help You Hire, Book and Produce a Nicholas Payton Performance

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Hire Nicholas Payton For Your Event

Celebrity Direct Inc. will help you select, book and hire Nicholas Payton to perform at your corporate event, nonprofit event or private performance.

We are always uniquely positioned as your advocate throughout the hiring process and we won’t let you overpay.

Contact us for availability, price and other production details at:

Tell Us About Your Event

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Nicholas Payton Songs

  • “Dear Louis”
  • “Nick @ Night”
  • “The Last Goodbye”
  • “A Touch of Silver”
  • “Driftin”
  • “West End Blues”
  • “Cocentric Circles”
  • “Whoopin Blues”

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Nicholas Payton Bio

Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Nicholas Payton was raised in New Orleans, a town chock-full of trumpet players and he originally followed in the footsteps of a mile-long line of tradition-based players including Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt, and of course, Wynton Marsalis. Payton is the son of Walter Payton, a well-known bassist on the Crescent City jazz scene. His mother played piano. Given his upbringing in a musical family, Payton often spent upwards of ten hours a day practicing trumpet in his youth. He began playing trumpet as a four-year-old, after asking his father to get him one. He began accompanying his father to shows at clubs in his youth and had the chance to hear many great trumpet players.

“I had a chance to hear some great trumpeters like Wendell Brunious, Leroy Jones, Clyde Kerr Jr., and Teddy Riley,” Payton said in a 2003 interview, and he also recalled seeing Wynton Marsalis when he was in high school. “I got to hear a bunch of people play trumpet in a town that has been noted for trumpet players since Buddy Bolden. For me, trumpet fit my personality. It suited my voice. You’re able to express a wide range of emotions on the instrument,” he said.

The turning point for the young Payton came when he was 11, when he heard a Miles Davis quartet album that was in his parents’ record collection. With the opening notes of the recording, he knew then he wanted to be a trumpet player and play jazz. He started performing publicly as a ten-year-old and began playing in the streets as a year later. He worked everywhere from jazz funerals to weddings to bar mitzvahs, and played on the streets for tips.

Payton attended New Orleans’ high school for the Creative Arts and studied with Clyde Kerr Jr.; he later studied briefly at the University of New Orleans with pianist Ellis Marsalis, who raised Wynton,Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason. Payton learned more from showing up at the elder Marsalis’ gigs at Snug Harbor and other Crescent City jazz clubs than he did in the classroom. Payton’s college career at UNO was interrupted by the chance to go on the road with drummer Elvin Jones. He had spent time on the road with Marcus Roberts and other touring musicians, but those were shorter stints. Spending two years on the road with drummer Joneswas his first big break, he recalled.

Through the years, Payton has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White, Christian McBride, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Doc Cheatham, and Joe Henderson, among others. He began his recording career with Verve Records, and his first album, From This Moment, was released in 1992. Two years later he performed on the soundtrack for the movie Kansas City, and in 1997 he received a Grammy Award for his playing on a collaborative album with then-nonagenarian trumpeter Doc Cheatham, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton. He also released 1995’sGumbo Nouveau, 1997’s Fingerpainting: The Music of Herbie Hancock, 1998’s Payton’s Place, 1999’s Nick@Night, and 2001’s Dear Louis.

Payton signed with Warner Bros. in 2003, releasing the ’70s fusion-influenced Sonic Trance. An auto accident briefly sidelined Payton’s career as he took time to fully recover. He returned with Mysterious Shorter on Chesky in 2006 and Into the Blue on Nonesuch in 2008. Well known as a risk taker, Payton took one of his grandest on 2011’s Bitches. A concept recording that details the stages and ending of a romantic relationship, Payton composed and arranged all 16 songs (which include lyrics), played every instrument, sang and played trumpet throughout, and produced the entire set. He is accompanied on the album by special guest vocalists Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, N’Dambi, Chinah Blac, and Saunders Sermons.

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How do I hire Nicholas Payton for a private event, corporate event, nonprofit gala or convention?

To hire Nicholas Payton for a private or corporate performance, the event buyer must first determine whether the artist is available and interested in the proposed engagement and then submit an offer through the appropriate authorized representative. The offer typically includes the event date and location, type of event, proposed performance format and fee.

Celebrity Direct represents event buyers throughout this process, including availability inquiries, offer strategy, negotiation, contracting, rider review and production coordination.

How much does it cost to hire Nicholas Payton for a private or corporate event?

There is no single published fee to hire Nicholas Payton for a private or corporate event. The performance fee is negotiated for the specific engagement and can vary based on the date, location, event type, performance format, travel requirements, current touring activity and other circumstances surrounding the event.

Celebrity Direct can obtain current availability and pricing from the appropriate artist representative for a specific event.

What total budget should I expect when hiring Nicholas Payton?

The total cost of presenting Nicholas Payton can be higher than the negotiated artist performance fee. Depending on the engagement, additional expenses can include airfare or private aviation, hotels, local transportation, sound, lighting, staging, backline, labor, hospitality and other requirements contained in the artist’s rider.

For this reason, event buyers should evaluate the all-in cost of the performance, not simply the artist fee, before making an offer.

How can I find out if Nicholas Payton is available for my event date?

Nicholas Payton’s availability for a private or corporate event must be confirmed through the appropriate authorized representative. Availability can depend on touring and recording commitments, personal scheduling, event location, travel requirements and whether the artist is interested in the particular engagement.

Celebrity Direct can submit the event details, check availability and determine whether an offer is appropriate.

How do I contact Nicholas Payton’s booking agent about a private performance?

A corporate, nonprofit or private-event buyer generally does not need to locate Nicholas Payton’s booking agent personally. An experienced talent buyer can identify the appropriate authorized representative, present the event professionally and manage the inquiry and offer process on the buyer’s behalf.

Celebrity Direct handles this process for its clients and represents the event buyer rather than the artist.

How do I contact Nicholas Payton’s manager about hiring them for an event?

Artist management is not necessarily the appropriate first contact for negotiating a private performance. Celebrity engagements are generally handled through the artist’s authorized booking representation, management or another designated representative depending on the circumstances.

Celebrity Direct determines the appropriate contact for the proposed engagement and handles the communication and negotiation for the event buyer.

Will Nicholas Payton perform at a corporate event, convention, nonprofit gala or private party?

Whether Nicholas Payton will consider a particular private or corporate performance depends on their availability, the nature and location of the event, the proposed performance, the financial offer and artist approval. Celebrity artists are not simply available for every event at a published price.

A legitimate inquiry should therefore include enough information about the event for the artist’s representatives to evaluate the opportunity.

What information do I need before asking about hiring Nicholas Payton?

Before requesting availability or pricing for Nicholas Payton, an event buyer should ideally know the event date, city and venue, type of event, expected attendance, desired performance format and approximate entertainment budget.

Providing these details allows the artist’s representatives to evaluate the engagement and allows an experienced talent buyer to recommend the most effective offer strategy.

Does the quoted artist fee include travel and production?

Usually, the artist’s performance fee should not be assumed to represent the complete cost of the engagement. Travel, hotels, ground transportation, production, equipment, labor and hospitality requirements may be additional obligations of the buyer depending on the negotiated contract and rider.

The contract and rider should be reviewed before the event buyer determines the final entertainment budget.

Can Celebrity Direct handle the complete Nicholas Payton booking and production process?

Celebrity Direct can represent the event buyer throughout a celebrity entertainment engagement, including determining availability, developing the offer, negotiating with the artist’s authorized representative, reviewing contracts and riders, coordinating production requirements and assisting with the performance through event day.

Unlike an artist’s agent or manager, Celebrity Direct works on the buyer’s side of the transaction, helping the event planner understand the financial, contractual and production obligations involved in presenting celebrity talent.

The Celebrity Booking Process

How Do I Hire a Celebrity for a Corporate or Private Event?
Submit a request

Submit our website form. We’ll ask you to provide a few key event details and budget goals

Consultation call 

We’ll schedule a call to discuss your event goals, offering our expert guidance on expectations

Talent Curation

We Identify a shortlist of available talent, factoring in tour schedules, to ensure accurate recommendations

Narrow it Down

We’ll help you rank and narrow down your top 3 priority picks

The Firm Offer

We craft a formal offer and present it to the Artist

Contract + Deposit

If the offer is accepted, we issue your agreement. If declined, we move to your next preferred choice.

Why Work With Us

Not Just a Booking. A Full-Scale Production.
Booking a celebrity is only part of the equation. We build the entire experience around it.
We handle:
  • Artist negotiation and contracting
  • All production: staging, lighting, sound, technical riders
  • Event logistics and show advancement
  • VIP coordinators, security, and confidentiality
You get:
  • A seasoned producer and booking advisor in one
  • A direct line to the decision-makers behind the artist
  • A one-stop solution from inquiry to showtime
  • Peace of mind knowing every detail is managed

Turn Our Expertise Into Your Dream Event

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  • We welcome all requests for proposals and we understand that not everyone knows the various costs involved when booking celebrity talent. We know some ideas will not be realistic but surprisingly, others will be.

    The important thing is to let us know your thoughts and desired outcome and we'll do the necessary work for you. You'll receive a response with suggested talent, costs, availability, other similar talent choices and our commitment to stand by our service until the last note is played!

    NOTE: Celebrity Direct Inc. is a celebrity booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle media requests, song license requests, music collaboration requests, donation requests, interview requests and we never provide celebrity contact information.