Numbers

New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton arrived on the scene in the ‘90s, playing either acoustic jazz that honored his hometown’s music tradition or straight-ahead bebop. But in recent years he’s often been drawn to slinky electric grooves, even singing at times. With Payton mostly riffing away at the electric piano, he’s joined en masse by Butcher Brown, a young Virginia band featuring drummer Corey Fonville, keyboardist/bassist Devonne Harris, guitarist Keith Askey, and bassist Andrew Randazzo. Featuring tunes that are simply numbered (there is no “Number One”), the idea behind *Numbers* is to provide a set of funky vamps or grooves for other musicians to solo over or play along with. Highlights include “Two” (which includes trumpet), “Three” (which has one of the most developed visions here), and “Four” and “Six,” two funky tracks that recall The Headhunters. While drummers and electronic artists have offered up beats specifically written to be sampled by others, this takes that concept an interesting step further.