“Patti, Your stage presence alone is transcendent. Your music: Exquisite. Captivating.  Your piano solos and your singing - of course. Your arranging and song writing – whew, unbelievable! You're the whole thing! Your lyrics are sheer truth and feeling - dark, shaded and radiant all together. Your band is astounding!”

- Jeff Mahoney
Retired reporter and columnist with The Spectator for 30 years, writing culture and lifestyle stories, commentary and humour

“You have a wonderful and haunting way of leaving space in your arrangements where I, as a listener, can inhabit each one. Much like being in an art gallery, I can ‘walk about' in each song and experience it from different perspectives. Every performance is a beautiful and uncanny encounter. I would be wrong to say that your approach is spare or austere. Every piece crackles with emotion. The word ‘nuanced’ is getting closer to my feelings but I think I will stop mulling this over and go with ‘magical’. You are a unique talent and to borrow from Lorenz Hart’s lyric, ‘don’t change a hair for me’!”

- Bryan Prince
Retired Book Seller and Jazz Aficionado

“Patti Payne stands out in today’s jazz landscape not simply for her technical ability, but for the unmistakable individuality she brings to every arrangement she takes on. Patti's sound starts with respect for jazz tradition with a fearless commitment to innovation, creating music that feels both timeless and entirely new. Whether through expressive improvisation, inventive arrangements, or a tone that is instantly recognizable, she continues to push boundaries while remaining grounded in genuine artistry. Patti's musical craft is a reminder that true originality isn’t loud—it’s honest, and her approach resonates long after the last note fades.”

- Paul Intson
Composer/Producer/Music Editor/Musician/Engineer

“I love the quiet sophistication of your music.”

- Ralf Buschmeyer
Professional Guitarist

“Exceptional arrangements!  Unique, fresh, uncommon, unexpected.  Your arrangements take the audience on a journey.  You don’t want to look away for a second!  “Oh, it’s going there…no…wow…it’s going THERE!”  Full of surprises!  Remarkable!  You’ve got something here.  Keep it going.  Congratulations.”

- Larry Larson
Artistic Director and Interim President of the Grand River Jazz Society

“What I love about your singing, Patti, is how personal it is.  It feels as if you are singing to ME in a way I've not felt before.  There is something about your voice!  

Your songs are so beautifully done - the subtle nuances are powerful and moving, your gorgeous interpretation and arrangements that I could listen to forever and a day, the way you all play so beautifully together - you’ve got the works!  

But, it's the intimacy of your singing that goes right to the heart, even my partly artificial one!!  Whew--such pleasure. You make a hit every time.”

- Jan Fergus
Professor Emerita of English at Lehigh University