Gerald Clayton
Encyclopedia
Gerald William Clayton is a jazz pianist
and composer
born in Utrecht
, Netherlands
, and raised in Southern California
. He is the son of bassist/bandleader John Clayton
and the nephew of multi-instrumentalist wind player Jeff Clayton
.
and composition with Donald Vega
, Shelly Berg
, Kenny Barron
and Billy Childs
. He graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
in 2002. At graduation, he was selected by the Music for Youth Foundation as one of four young musicians to receive a scholarship and perform at Steinway Hall
. In September, 2002, he received the Shelly Manne Award for emerging young artists from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. In 2006, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree through the Jazz Studies program at USC Thornton School of Music
; a program that included his father as senior lecturer. He took second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition. In the winter of 2006–2007, Gerald Clayton moved to New York City
where he currently resides. Clayton is currently represented by Addeo Music International (AMI)
.
In November 2010, Gerald Clayton was interviewed by Linus Wyrsch on "The Jazz Hole" for breakthruradio.com - Gerald Clayton Interview by breakthruradio.com
, Monty Alexander
, Benny Green
and Ray Brown
. His most important musical influence is his father, John Clayton.
platform was used for Clayton's discographic debut as a leader, releasing the trio album Two-Shade
.
In December 2009, Clayton was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, for his solo on Cole Porter
's "All of You" off of Clayton's Two-Shade album. His nomination was one in a pool of much more established jazz stars such as Terence Blanchard
and Roy Hargrove
, with whom Clayton toured for several years.
Additionally, The Clayton Brothers' Brother To Brother received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group category. Gerald Clayton plays piano on the album, which holds loosely to a theme of songs that were originally made famous by earlier musical groups of brothers such as Thad
, Hank
and Elvin Jones
. Clayton's piano playing was described by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times as "[filling] up the available space" with Clayton "busying himself with prettiness and authority." Ratliff continued, "If you've listened to much hard bop or mainstream jazz of the early '60s
, you might find some easygoing clichés in his playing – or maybe even an awful lot of them – but they are smoothly rendered. More important, the friendly rhetoric of this music allows them."
Jazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
born in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, and raised in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. He is the son of bassist/bandleader John Clayton
John Clayton (bassist)
John Travis Clayton Jr. is an American jazz and classical double bassist.-Music:John Travis Clayton Jr. began seriously undertaking the study of double bass at age 16, studying with bass legend Ray Brown...
and the nephew of multi-instrumentalist wind player Jeff Clayton
Jeff Clayton
Jeff Clayton is an American jazz alto saxophonist and flautist.Clayton studied oboe at California State University and undertook a tour with Stevie Wonder. Following this he recorded with Gladys Knight, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson, Patti Labelle, and Madonna...
.
Biography
Gerald Clayton studied classical piano with Linda Buck for eleven years, starting at the age of seven, and jazz pianoJazz piano
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities...
and composition with Donald Vega
Donald Vega
Donald Vega is a Nicaraguan-born American jazz pianist and music composer.-Early life:Vega was born in Masaya, Nicaragua, a town well known for its handicrafts. He was born with a severe cleft palate, for which he has had many surgeries to correct and save his hearing. He fled the country at the...
, Shelly Berg
Shelly Berg
Shelton Glen Berg is a jazz pianist from Cleveland, Ohio. His father was trumpet player Jay Berg. At the age of six Shelly Berg entered the Cleveland Institute of Music studying classical piano...
, Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron , is an American jazz pianist. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron, and known for his lyrical, adaptive style.-Biography:...
and Billy Childs
William Edward Childs
William Edward Childs is a composer and jazz pianist from Los Angeles.Born March 8, 1957, he began piano lessons when he was six. When he was 16, Childs started attending the Community School of the Performing Arts, a prestigious music program sponsored by the University of Southern California...
. He graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts is a Visual and Performing Arts high school located on the campus of California State University, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1984, the public, tuition-free school offers both college preparatory courses and...
in 2002. At graduation, he was selected by the Music for Youth Foundation as one of four young musicians to receive a scholarship and perform at Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall
Steinway Hall is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and Steinway-Häuser are located in world cities such as New York City, London, Hamburg, Berlin,...
. In September, 2002, he received the Shelly Manne Award for emerging young artists from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. In 2006, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree through the Jazz Studies program at USC Thornton School of Music
USC Thornton School of Music
The University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, founded in 1884 and dedicated in 1999, is one of the premier music schools in the United States...
; a program that included his father as senior lecturer. He took second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition. In the winter of 2006–2007, Gerald Clayton moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he currently resides. Clayton is currently represented by Addeo Music International (AMI)
Addeo Music International (AMI)
Addeo Music International is an international jazz booking agency established in 2008 that works with a number of internationally acclaimed artists. AMI develops its artists through focused touring initiatives and management of international performances through a network of AMI-affiliated...
.
In November 2010, Gerald Clayton was interviewed by Linus Wyrsch on "The Jazz Hole" for breakthruradio.com - Gerald Clayton Interview by breakthruradio.com
Influences
Gerald Clayton reports that his influences include Oscar PetersonOscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander is a jazz pianist and melodica player. His playing has a strong Caribbean influence and swinging feeling, but he has also been influenced by Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, and Ahmad Jamal.-Biography:Alexander discovered the piano at the age of 4, taking classical music...
, Benny Green
Benny Green (pianist)
Benny Green is a hard bop jazz pianist who was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He has been compared to Bud Powell in style and counts him as an influence. As a boy he grew up in Berkeley, California and studied classical piano from the age of seven...
and Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
. His most important musical influence is his father, John Clayton.
Major appearances
Gerald Clayton currently tours with The Clayton Brothers and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. He leads the various permutations of the Gerald Clayton Trio, including the addition of extra players and the accompaniment of jazz vocalists. He has performed in a duo with his father, John Clayton. He appears regularly at the Jazz Gallery in New York, where his own compositions are presented. He has taken part in several world tours with the Roy Hargrove Quintet.- November 14, 2005 Gold Room of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. "Handful of Keys" with Robert Edward Thies
- Summer 2006 world tour with the Roy HargroveRoy HargroveRoy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
Quintet - January 13, 2007 Jazz Gallery Composers Series. Gerald Clayton Trio with David Wong on bass, Pete Van Ostrand on drums and Roy Hargrove joining on trumpet
- January 12, 2007 IAJE 2007 NEA Jazz Masters Awards Concert, The Clayton Brothers Quintet.
- April 11, 2007 Gerald Clayton Trio with Melissa Morgan at Steamers
- July 27, 2007 Roy Hargrove Quintet at CentrumCentrum (arts organization)Centrum, located in Fort Worden State Park near Port Townsend, Washington in Jefferson County is a multidisciplinary nonprofit arts organization that presents workshops and performances in a wide variety of artistic disciplines.-Origin:...
- Summer/Fall 2007 world tour with Roy Hargrove Quintet
- September 28, 2007 Gerald Clayton Composers Series at The Jazz Gallery
- November 9, 2007 Gerald Clayton Trio at Kennedy Center
- February 1, 2008 Gerald Clayton & Yosvany Terry. Composers Series Part II at The Jazz Gallery
- February 14, 2008 through February 17 Newport Beach Jazz Festival
- February 21–22, 2008 Lionel Hampton Jazz FestivalLionel Hampton Jazz FestivalThe Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival, the largest west of the Mississippi, that takes place on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho in the month of February...
at University of IdahoUniversity of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state... - May 8, 2009 opening concert of the Klavierfestival Ruhr at Bochum, Germany
- July 9, 2011 Clayton performed with his Gerald Clayton trio at the North Sea Jazz FestivalNorth Sea Jazz FestivalThe North Sea Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival held each second weekend of July in the Netherlands at the Ahoy venue. It used to be in The Hague but since 2006 it has been held in Rotterdam...
at RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in The Netherlands
Fan-funded debut as a leader
The fan-funded ArtistShareArtistShare
ArtistShare is a crowdfunding website and labelWharton Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consulted on 10/12/2011 for musicians and other creative artists which allows them to fund their projects utilizing a "fan-funding" model to allow the general public to directly finance, watch the creative...
platform was used for Clayton's discographic debut as a leader, releasing the trio album Two-Shade
Two-Shade
Two-Shade, a 2009 jazz trio album, is Gerald Clayton's discographic debut as a leader, featuring long-time friends and collaborators Joe Sanders on double bass and Justin Brown on drums...
.
Grammy nomination
In 2010, Gerald Clayton was nominated for a Grammy for 'Best Instrumental Composition' for "Battle Circle", which is featured on the also Grammy nominated Clayton Brothers album, New Song and Dance.In December 2009, Clayton was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo, for his solo on Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
's "All of You" off of Clayton's Two-Shade album. His nomination was one in a pool of much more established jazz stars such as Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and film score composer. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz...
and Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove
Roy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
, with whom Clayton toured for several years.
Additionally, The Clayton Brothers' Brother To Brother received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group category. Gerald Clayton plays piano on the album, which holds loosely to a theme of songs that were originally made famous by earlier musical groups of brothers such as Thad
Thad Jones
Thaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
, Hank
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
and Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
. Clayton's piano playing was described by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times as "[filling] up the available space" with Clayton "busying himself with prettiness and authority." Ratliff continued, "If you've listened to much hard bop or mainstream jazz of the early '60s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, you might find some easygoing clichés in his playing – or maybe even an awful lot of them – but they are smoothly rendered. More important, the friendly rhetoric of this music allows them."
Discography
- Bond: The Paris Sessions - Gerald Clayton (2011)
- When the Heart Emerges Glistening - Ambrose AkinmusireAmbrose AkinmusireAmbrose Akinmusire is a jazz trumpeter.In 2007 Akinmusire was the winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, and the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition, two of the most prestigious jazz competitions in the world.-Biography:By the time the lone standard...
(2011) - Bridging the Gap - Dick Oatts & Terell Stafford Quintet (2010)
- Two-ShadeTwo-ShadeTwo-Shade, a 2009 jazz trio album, is Gerald Clayton's discographic debut as a leader, featuring long-time friends and collaborators Joe Sanders on double bass and Justin Brown on drums...
– Gerald Clayton (2009) - Reverence – Kendrick ScottKendrick ScottKendrick Scott is an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer. Scott is the founder of the World Culture Music Record Company.-Biography:Kendrick A.D. Scott was born and raised in Houston, Texas...
(2009) - Until I Met You – Melissa MorganMelissa Morgan- Biography :Melissa Morgan was born in New York City and grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey, where she attended Teaneck High School. She began studying piano at age four. During high school Melissa began singing with local choirs and was soon performing with select classical vocal groups across the...
(2009) - Brother to Brother – The Clayton Brothers (2008)
- Earfood – Roy HargroveRoy HargroveRoy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
(2008) - From This Moment OnFrom This Moment On (album)From This Moment On is the tenth album by Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall, released in 2006 on Verve Records. The album debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, making it Krall' third consecutive number-one album. This album was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the 2007 Grammy...
– Diana KrallDiana KrallDiana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
(2006) - Christmas Songs – Diana KrallDiana KrallDiana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
(2006) - Easy to Love – Roberta GambariniRoberta GambariniRoberta Gambarini is an Italian jazz singer. She was born in Turin, Italy, and started taking clarinet lessons at age twelve. She made her singing debut at age seventeen in jazz clubs around Northern Italy, then moved to Milan, where she worked in radio and television and began recording under her...
(2006) - Back In The Swing Of Things – Clayton Brothers (2005)
- Dissertation on the State of Bliss – Laura Welland (2005)
- Complex Simplicity – Teedra MosesTeedra MosesTeedra Moses is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter.-Biography:Teedra Moses was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a gospel singing mother, Shirley Moses. She later moved to California with her mother and three siblings after her parents' separation...
(2004) - Trumpet Talk – Bobby Rodriguez (2003)
Personal life
Clayton played competition soccer in school for eight years and enjoys dancing.External links
- Gerald Clayton Interview with Linus Wyrsch, breakthruradio.com, November 2010
- Gerald Clayton official website
- Flickr photos of Gerald Clayton
- Gerald Clayton Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard by NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...