Nik Payton

Apologies for my extended absence. I’ve been slightly overwhelmed by a new ‘gig’ and I’m just getting life back in order!
A few months ago I took on the job of Artistic Director for Jazz Festival Brasil, foolishly thinking I’d have lots of fun organising the biggest festival of it’s kind in the country. I’ve since [...]

Are you a musician who is not yet using Twitter? Have you been putting it off because it seems a bit dumb - why would you want to read about, or tell other people about everything that goes on in your life? If you are then read on!

As with a lot of people I was [...]

Television is, for the most part, complete crap. It is filled with lowest-common-denominator programmes (or programs, for the Stateside readers) that do nothing to stimulate us other than to reach for more coke and crisps and join the ever increasing ranks of the obese. I have never understood the success of reality TV; the fascination [...]

If, as quite often happens, the flights are delayed or the theatre has screwed up the sound check and we end up waiting around for hours on end or there is no food available ANYWHERE after the gig - well, then the posts might not be entirely suitable for younger readers!! … I can’t begin to describe the frustration of having to work SO hard just to get back to a reasonable level of proficiency, let alone anywhere close to level I was in June.

First of all, let me apologise for the lack of posts and newsletters. After my trip to New York I came down with pneumonia which knocked me out a bit - in fact I’m still getting over it almost 3 months later. Anyway, that’s no excuse. In fact, you might ask, if I wasn’t doing [...]

I’ve lived in Brazil now for 5 years. When I came here I spoke virtually no Portuguese whatsoever. Hello, please and thank you was about it. Obviously to make my self understood I had to learn, very quickly. After a year or so I could hold a conversation quite well and although my vocabulary wasn’t [...]

I’ve had a few emails from musicians who didn’t really know much about the tools and ideas I talked about in my last newsletter. I thought I was well behind in this new movement but it seems there are many musicians, especially in the jazz world, who aren’t sure what is going on. I’m going [...]