Walking up to Irvin Mayfield’s apartment building, passing the flourishing art galleries, upscale restaurants and other urbane features of the New Orleans Warehouse District, I couldn’t help but marvel at how well things are coming together for the 23-year-old musician.

In January, he released How Passion Falls, his brilliant second CD of original jazz on the Basin Street label, earning rave reviews and an increasingly high ranking on the Gavin jazz ...