Payton Puts His Skills on Trumpet Front and Center

In the thicket of young-lion trumpet players who have arrived in the wake of Wynton Marsalis--Roy Hargrove, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Printup and Nicholas Payton among them--Payton has always been one of the most instrument-oriented of them all. His unquestioned mastery of the technical elements of the trumpet is always front and center.

And that can be both good and bad. On Thursday, in the opening set of a four-night run at the Jazz Bakery, Payton played with the virtuosic, fiery brassiness that is an essential aspect of his style. Concentrating on music from his new Verve album, “Payton’s Place,” he brought a similarly declamatory quality to almost everything.

On the plus side, it was an impressive display of pure trumpet playing, mixing rapid-fire technique with jazzy growls and piercing high notes. And, on the ballad standard “It Might as Well Be Spring,” he added a rare touch of emotional intimacy, a few bars of relatively quiet musical warmth.

But that was an exception to the balance of his performance. Soon after the tune’s opening chorus, Payton abandoned his thoughtful style in favor of once again concentrating upon his virtuosity. It’s probably understandable that a 25-year-old player focuses upon his dazzling mechanical skills. But, in almost everything he played, there were moments in which Payton revealed a still-nascent potential for musical depth, for insights that would have brought a much richer fullness to his showcase style. Too bad there weren’t more.

Working alongside him in the front line, tenor saxophonist Tim Warfield provided a dramatic contrast. Physically resembling John Coltrane, he took a path similar to that followed by the legendary musical adventurer. Virtually every solo by Warfield was an effort to break open the musical envelope. And on Herbie Hancock’s “Eye of the Hurricane,” he burst through with a solo so passionate, so intense that it drew an explosion of applause from the moderate-sized audience.

Payton and Warfield were well-supported by pianist Anthony Wonsey, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Adonis Rose.

* The Nicholas Payton Quintet at Jazz Bakery, tonight and Sunday, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, (310) 271-9039. $25 admission tonight at 8:30 and 10, $20 Sunday at 7 p.m., $25 at 9 p.m.