Nicholas Payton released Drip, his 26th recording as a leader in September. 

In his career so far, Payton has proven himself more than just a big name in contemporary jazz – he is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger, essayist, and social activist.

Drip features new takes on six previously recorded original compositions. featuring collaborative, new reworks of his compositions. Each has its own hypnotic vibe. I’ve been moving to “Kimathi” and “Black Is Beautiful.”

The collaborators include Robert Glasper, Michael Franks, and Patrice Rushen. Franks and Rushen duet for the first time on the quiet stormy “Visible Light.” That track really takes you back to a different era.

“Everything I write is about life experiences. The music means nothing without life. A life lived. It’s not just notes on a page. It’s not just a technical exercise. It’s vibrations and energy,” Payton says. “And I’m striving to help lift, if possible, raise the vibration of the collective conscious one audience, one album, one song at a time. If I can’t do that, there’s no point in me playing. That’s why I play. It’s about contributing to society and inspiring. That’s my life as an artist, period. Challenging people to think differently, to think critically and to not be slaves to the system and the status quo.”