WELCOME TO MY WORLD
(courtesy LinkedIn, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clif_Payne)
AN EXTRAORDINARY PAYNE
As he records his debut album, Harlem-born Clif Payne continues to established himself as one of the music's most unique vocalists. His style combines contemporary jazz, R&B/Soul, gospel, pop and folk.
“Clif Payne is a lush tenor bursting with soaring gospel melismas.” LA Times, Don Heckman
"An impressive, great singer!" Emilio Castillo, Tower of Power
"I like your sound!," Fred Hersch, jazz pianist, Grammy nominee
THE HOUSE OF PAYNE
Clif is the son of James "Buddy" Payne, reedsman with the Lionel Hampton, Lucky Millinder and Fletcher Henderson bands of the Harlem Renaissance, 1920s-1950s. Clif's mother, Aline, educated by Tuskegee legends James Weldon Johnson and William Dawson, was an ensemble vocalist who once backed Nat “King” Cole. Since then, Clif has performed at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, Yoshi's, West Hollywood's Troubadour and LA's Jazz Bakery. He's opened for Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett and has performed with Tower of Power and Clairdee. His recordings include commercials & cds by Dave Koz and jazz fushionists Hiroshima. As a guitarist, Clif has backed Rich Little, Wolfman Jack, Danny Gans and former Platters lead vocalist Sonny Turner. THE VOICE OF PAYNE
First and foremost, Clif Payne is a vocalist. And, as a vocalist, Clif effortlessly paints a colorful soundscape where the hues of jazz, gospel and R&B converge. His mastery of lyrics, interpretation, improvisation, phrasing and tone highlight the technical aspects of his voice without sacrificing its emotional depth--all while taking us on melodic excursions of artistic expression. A BREEZY '13--(the name of my wheelchair was "breezy")
AN EARLY FALL
I'll never take walking for granted again. 2013 was to be my year of great musical opportunities. But, all that was put on hold on April 6 while performing in San Francisco. I did a routine leap off the stage onto a crowded dance floor. When I landed, I discovered that I had blown out both kneecaps and torn a tendon. Plus, I was locked in a squat position and couldn't get up. Fortunately, there were 3 doctors on the dance floor who rushed over, unlocked my legs and kept me from going into shock. They called paramedics, who then took me to St. Francis Med Center. On Monday, April 8, surgery was was performed to repair all the damage in both knees. It's the kind of injury athletes are prone to getting. I've heard it happening with one knee-- but two? At the same time? "I WANNA BE AROUND . . ." I knew my injury was serious, but I didn't realize how serious until the surgeon and his assistant visited me in my hospital room. The doctor said, "Clif, we don't want to alarm you but, the last African American patient of mine that had your kind of an injury a year ago died suddenly 4 weeks after leaving the hospital." Apparently, fatal blood clots had formed in his legs, travelled to his lungs and caused a pulmonary embolism--killing him in within minutes of his arrival at the hospital ER room. "We don't want that to happen to you, so we'll be quite aggressive in giving anti-blood clotting treatment. We wanna keep you around a little longer!" Two big thumbs way up for that last sentence! Two weeks in the hospital followed. THE COMEBACK--"I'm Back!!"
I spent the Christmas Season of 2013 learning how to walk again after spending nearly 6 months in a wheelchair. Transitioned from wheelchair to walker to cane. Now, I'm back on my feet complete!
