In the spirit of reclaiming that which colonization sought to destroy, I'm releasing the first single from my upcoming album Afro-Caribbean Mixtape at the top of Columbus Day weekend. Like a piece of African patchwork, this track is comprised of a lot of different elements — some old, some new. The main body of this record was constructed from the end vamp of a tune I wrote for Dr. Greg Carr (chair of African-American studies at Howard University) called, “Kimathi.” In fact, throughout the piece, you can hear my turntablist, DJ Lady Fingaz, scratching a sample I chopped from one of his interviews. I constructed a new work by cutting and pasting the best moments of Kevin Hays and I playing keyboards on top of the extended jam, and superimposed that over the groove laid down by bassist Vicente Archer, drummer Joe Dyson, and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. I did this with the help of my mix engineer, Blake Leyh (The Wire, Treme).
Towards the beginning of the piece, you'll hear a chant from vocalists Yolanda Robinson, Jolynda Phillips, and Christina Machado. It's from a thing my father made up while walking through his childhood neighborhood of 13th Ward New Orleans back in the 1940s, “Na-na ni-ta ho-ho. Left, right. Left, right.” Thirty years later, as an elementary school band teacher at McDonogh #15, he had us chant this whenever we marched in second line parades. It recalls the syllabic prayers of ancient languages used in modern dance songs like Mani Dibango's “Soul Makossa,” of which Michael Jackson borrowed for “Wanna Be Startin' Something.”
The centerpiece of the single is my recitation of a poem I wrote back in 2006 in the aftermath of the flood commonly referred to as “Katrina.” It's called “The Egyptian Second Line.” The gist of the poem toys with the theory that somehow Africans submitted to slavery in an attempt to become better versions of themselves. After the ladies chirp the hook, I step away from the keyboards and embrace the instrument I'm most known for — the trumpet — and blow a few before we take it out. With this song, I am channeling the energy of the ancestors to help give Africa back to herself in the best way I know how, through the power of music.
In New Orleans, a “second line” is the procession where we dance in the streets to music played by a brass band to celebrate either life or death. When I think about what an Egyptian second line looks like, I think of the imagery of that photo of Louis Armstrong serenading his wife, Lucille in front of the Sphinx — again Africans giving Africa back to herself.
Released October 7, 2016
1. The Egyptian Second Line 14:56
2. The Egyptian Second Line (Instrumental) 14:55
Nicholas Payton: trumpet, spoken word, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3, Clavinet
Kevin Hays: Fender Rhodes
Vicente Archer: acoustic bass
Joe Dyson: drums
Daniel Sadownick: percussion
DJ Lady Fingaz: turntable, sampler
Yolanda Robinson: background vocals
Jolynda Phillips: background vocals
Christina Machado: background vocals
Composed by Nicholas Payton (BMI)
Produced by Nicholas Payton
Recorded, mixed, mastered, and designed using the PAYTONEsonic™ programming process
Recording Engineer: David Stoller
Assistant Engineer: Emily Eck
Mixing Engineer: Blake Leyh
Recorded at The Shed, New Orleans, LA
Mastering: Michael Fossenkemper, Turtletone Studios, NYC
turtletonestudio.com
Art Direction: Nicholas Payton
Cover Painting: Ayanna Bassiouni
Cover Design: Ayanna Bassiouni
