Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown - A Supreme Blue (Black Vinyl)

Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown - A Supreme Blue is a bold contemporary reimagining of two of the most revered albums in jazz: Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue and John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Created in the centennial year of both Davis and Coltrane, the project brings Grammy Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger Nicholas Payton together with Virginia collective Butcher Brown for a performance that honours the source material without treating it as untouchable museum music.

The first disc revisits the complete sequence of Kind of Blue: “So What”, “Freddie Freeloader”, “Blue in Green”, “All Blues” and “Flamenco Sketches”. Familiar melodic and harmonic foundations remain recognisable, but the musicians filter them through contemporary rhythm, beat culture, funk and the group’s expansive live chemistry. The arrangements are subtle rather than overloaded, allowing the original compositions to breathe while introducing new textures and momentum.

The second disc turns to the four-part suite of A Love Supreme: “Acknowledgement”, “Resolution”, “Pursuance” and “Psalm”. Here the ensemble engages with Coltrane’s spiritual intensity through collective improvisation, deep groove and modern production awareness. The result connects jazz tradition with contemporary energy, creating a record that speaks to dedicated jazz listeners as well as beat heads and younger audiences drawn to the music through hip-hop, soul and progressive instrumental music.

The project has received major critical support. BBC Music Magazine praised its lucid, understated fusion of contemporary styles, while MOJO highlighted its fearless and funky character. Jazzwise described it as a fresh, playful and creative engagement with legendary source material. Further promotion includes BBC 6 Music activity with Gilles Peterson and Cerys Matthews, Jazz FM interviews and airplay across independent radio.

Issued through Concord Jazz, this limited 2LP edition is restricted to 1,500 copies worldwide. A Supreme Blue is both a respectful centennial tribute and an adventurous album in its own right, demonstrating that canonical music can remain alive through reinterpretation rather than imitation. This is a pre-order for release on 14 August 2026.