Gerald Clayton

Gerald Clayton with Dayna Stephens

Jazz at Kitano, 66 Park Ave, New York, NY

"Individually and collectively, (the Gerald Clayton Trio's) performance was at a stunningly high professional level--enhanced by the enthusiastic feeling of exhilaration in everything they played." - Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2002

Gerald Clayton plays live for Byron Janis

Published on Aug 14, 2012

"It is an honor to pay tribute to this legend of the piano. To hear Byron Janis breathe life into the music of Chopin, Rachmaninov, Liszt, and so many others is breathtaking. He is a remarkable artist and human being."
- Gerald Clayton

Gerald Clayton was born on May 11, 1984 in Utrecht, The Netherlands and moved to the United States at a young age. Gerald grew up in a musical family (his father is bassist/composer John Clayton and his uncle saxophonist Jeff Clayton) and was exposed to a variety of musical styles from a very young age. He studied classical piano with Mrs. Linda Buck and jazz piano and composition with Shelly Berg, Kenny Barron and Billy Childs.

Gerald has received numerous awards over the past years, including the Music Center Spotlight Awards in 2001. In 2002 Gerald was presented with the "level 1" award by the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts (NFAA), was named Presidential Scholar in the Arts and received a scholarship award from the Music for Youth Foundation. He also received the Shelley Manne Award for emerging young artists from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. In September of 2006, Gerald received Second Place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition.

Despite his young age, Gerald has already performed extensively with numerous outstanding musicians including pianists Benny Green, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Barron, trumpeter Clark Terry, drummer Lewis Nash and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

Gerald is a Yamaha Artist.

from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEW5qMhVrn8

Pianist Gerald Clayton has jazz in his DNA

Stuart Levitan on Thursday 04/04/2013

Jazz pianist and composer Gerald Clayton has known his life's calling since a third-grade talent show. The Grammy-nominated artist played a little boogie-woogie piece he had worked on with his father, noted jazz bassist John Clayton. Music was already a constant in his life, but this performance was the first time he felt its power as a creator.

"That rush of playing for a group of people who are enjoying the music, that first buzz hit, and everything felt right," he says.

While he went on to skateboarding and soccer, and got "really passionate about surfing," music "always felt like home base."

The comfort shows. The 28-year-old plays with a sophisticated reassurance that belies his youth, a vibrancy that proclaims his joy.

"The Claytons are smilers, trying to emit joy before anything else," he says. "If you do this for the right reason, for the love of the music, the rest will take care of itself."

He's maintained that musically nurturing environment into adulthood, living in the same Harlem apartment building as the other original members of his trio, bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown. The group will perform at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on April 6, as part of the Isthmus Jazz Series.

Clayton has already had quite a year, with three new entries in his discography.Life Forum, released this week, features five additional close friends, including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, an Isthmus Jazz Series alumnus. The Clayton Brothers Quintet, led by his dad and his uncle, flutist and saxophonist Jeff Clayton, issued The Gathering, a straight-ahead jazz album on which he plays piano. And on Terri Lyne Carrington's 50th-anniversary homage to Duke Ellington's Money Jungle, he took over for Ellington himself.

Read more: http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=39568

Gerald Clayton: Open to the Music

By John Moultrie
iRockJazz caught pianist Gerald Clayton in Chicago where he discussed trends in jazz, his early influences, the proper mindset for approaching jazz today and being honest with the music by keeping an open mind.
Read more: http://jazztimes.com/articles/74314-gerald-clayton-open-to-the-music

Gerald Clayton in the spotlight at KU

Published by William Muller in Culture, Music Reviews on October 26th, 2011

He has been regarded as a young pianist with “pristine technique and having highly advanced compositional skills” from the review on his new album on All About Jazz’s website.

At 27 years old, Gerald Clayton has composed music for symphonies and has been nominated for two Grammy awards.

The Gerald Clayton Trio visited the Ursa Minor’s Cafe on Thursday, Oct. 20 where they gave an outstanding performance to their audience.

The three piece band – Alan Hampton on upright bass and Quincey Davis on drums – created a sound where all of their musical intuition was put to work.

Clayton said that this was the first time this trio performed together on stage.

Surprisingly they sounded better than one may expect for it being their first time performing together.

“I’ve been in mingle mode for the past year, trying to find the right fit for the trio. But, with like-minded people, this has been an undertaking very worthwhile,” Clayton said.

Their performance included a few unrecorded pieces, familiar compositions from artist such as Dizzy Gillespie, as well as numbers from his first recorded album Two-Shade as well as pieces from his newest album Bond: The Paris Sessions.

They play with high energy and impulsive qualities where they let the music take the reins of guiding where to go. Each of the three members had equal opportunity to show case their renowned talents.

With their constant change of intricate time signatures, it kept the audiences ears on high alert for the unpredictable beauty of jazz.

“We like to keep it loose but we like to keep it tight,” Clayton said after a number where each member had a lengthy solo.

Clayton’s newest album, Bond: The Paris Sessions was recorded with his formers members Joe Sanders, bass, and Justin Brown, drums, in France’s capital.

The “bond” refers to the coherence within the three while recording this album.

“This album engages to stick with the community of fellow musicians, similar artists, as well as students,” Gerald said in reference to his album.

Their dynamic sound on the record creates a labyrinth of melodies where it infuses each unique quality of the members, making it interesting to listen to as a whole rather than focusing on Clayton.

Clayton explores the deep currents of jazz, unwinding many of the musical unknowns hitting the powerful chords at the precise time in his compositions.

“I have listened to many different musical styles. I always absorb these influences and by this, I created my own voice,” Clayton said.

The evidence in his songs of infusing many styles is evident.

Elements of swing, traditional jazz, and staccato riffs all encompass his music.

Each song has their own path and set of sounds but Clayton knows how to interject with his delicate touch to make the song coexist with the entire composition.

For more information on Gerald Clayton’s Trio, visit www.geraldclayton.com.

http://keystoneonline.com/2011/10/gerald-clayton-in-the-spotlight-at-ku/

Gabriel Alegria And Gerald Clayton On JazzSet

Two unique emerging artists step out at the Litchfield Jazz Festival, the climax of a four-week jazz camp in Kent, Conn. Each is a joy and the transition is sweet. Pianist Gerald Clayton is so deft, he can turn a piece of music inside-out without making a single cut. His trio offers two originals — one by his drummer — with "Con Alma," a Dizzy Gillespie classic, in the middle. They rework it, of course.

Photo: Fran Kaufman / Freddy "Huevito" Lobatón is a zapateo shoe-dancer extraordinaire.

The son of bassist John Clayton, Gerald Clayton spent his early years learning Oscar Peterson records, and at 26, he's both solidly grounded and highly individual. He'll find a morsel in a tune and turn it over and over, always keeping a flow. Then, on a dime, he can shift to an exhilarating, satisfying shout chorus. One of his solos from the 2009 album Two-Shade was Grammy-nominated.

Both bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown studied at the Brubeck Institute in California, and among the three, there are at least four more alma maters — USC, the Monk Institute and the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools of Music.
Listen on: http://www.npr.org/2010/11/18/131419945/gabriel-alegria-and-gerald-clayton-on-jazzset

Complete on  >>  http://www.npr.org/2010/11/18/131419945/gabriel-alegria-and-gerald-clayton-on-jazzset&sc=nl&cc=jn-20101121

Review: At Kuumbwa, 26-year-old pianist Gerald Clayton makes old standards new again

By Richard Scheinin (rscheinin@mercurynews.com)
For Gerald Clayton, the gap between old-school stride piano and 21st-century neo-soul rhythms is no gap at all. While performing Monday at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, he would relax into one, and then flow straight into the other — a century of rhythmic information, from Teddy Wilson to D'Angelo, echoing through his introduction to "If I Were a Bell," the old standard.

For the best young jazz musicians — Clayton is 26 — the music's long history isn't a stumbling block to expression. It's just a reality, a source of connections. It gets complicated, but the sorting-out process happens over time for a working band like Clayton's. It's "a trio of close friends," he told the audience. "These guys pretty much read my mind."

Earlier in the evening, on Clayton's tune "3-D," the mind readers began very quietly: stretched out, minimalist lines from acoustic bassist Joe Sanders, again referencing neo-soul and hip-hop; lots of dancing definition from drummer Justin Brown, slipping in and out of multiple tempos; Clayton dropping little neural explosions into the mix with his own tangling and untangling lines. And then, stealthily, a groove emerged, a through-line, pulsing out of that big, heady mix of information: three dimensions had been focused down to one.
Complete on  >>  http://www.contracostatimes.com/entertainment/ci_15567825?source=rss

Gerald Clayton Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard....

For opposing high schools and geopolitical rivals, proximity may breed contempt. Thankfully, it's not true for pianist Gerald Clayton. He's the son of bassist John Clayton and the nephew of saxophonist Jeff Clayton, and he now plays in the Clayton Brothers family band. He also has his own trio; conveniently, all three members live in the same Harlem apartment building. Photo: John Rogers/johnrogersnyc.com

That trio made a sparkling debut album last year, Two-Shade, soon to be reissued on a major record label. And at the age of 25 — his bandmates hover around there, too — Clayton made his debut at the Village Vanguard this week. WBGO and NPR Music broadcast and audio/video Webcast the trio's early set Wednesday night. The ranks of young pianists are littered with technical virtuosos, but Clayton stands apart: He has touch, too. He's a warm and graceful player, with plenty of personal nuance; he would say that his style comes as much from gigging with West Coast bigwigs as from listening to a wide range of music. With him are fellow rising stars Joe Sanders on bass and Justin Brown on drums; also in their mid-20s, they're becoming some of the most in-demand musicians in New York.

Gerald Clayton grew up in the Los Angeles area; with his musical father and uncle, he was privy to the world of professional jazz musicians even before starting formal study. He took lessons at the University of Southern California, and later at the Manhattan School of Music. Before long, he was the pianist for trumpeter Roy Hargrove, a chair he held for several years.

Clayton met his bandmates in the Grammy Jazz Ensembles, a select group of all-star high-school musicians brought together to perform during the lead-up to the Grammy Awards. Last year, Clayton himself was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Improvised Jazz Solo ("All of You"), when Two-Shade was but a fan-funded independent recording. He didn't win, but he'll likely be back: He's presenting his own music this week at the Vanguard, which is a pretty high honor in itself.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123531537&sc=nl&cc=jn-20100210

Gerald Clayton Trio....

The Smalls in Manhattan,

Feb26 2009

Gerald Clayton: Meet the Band

Two Shade, the debut release from pianist Gerald Clayton features interactive, dynamic trio playing. This week, we'll meet the band which consists of Joe Sanders on bass, and Justin Brown on drums.
Joseph Sanders, was raised with the sound of the Church, and he showed interest at an early age in the bass. In middle school, since there was only a classical program, Sanders switched from electric to Double Bass. Upon receiving a scholarship for inner-city youth, he was entitled to study for five years with Catherine McGinn, an accomplished bassist in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Curious about other forms, he attended his first Jazz session. It was enough to hook him. He discovered new influences who would play a vital role in his development; Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, and Ray Brown. In high school, he was a part of the Grammy Band, composed of the top jazz high school students in the country. He caught the attention of the director of the Dave Brubeck Institute, who was looking for young musicians for the program's inauguration. Soon after, Sanders headed west, to Stockton, California. During the two years at Brubeck, he studied exclusively with Christian McBride and many other jazz masters. Sanders also had many performing opportunities while at the institute including a performance with Brubeck at the 2004 IAJE jazz convention.

He moved to New York and emerged himself in the city's vibrant jazz scene, sharing the bandstand with a wide range of musicians. After a year, he auditioned for the Thelonious Monk Institute, under the supervision of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Terence Blanchard. Accepted, he flew back west, this time to Los Angeles, and attended the two-year program. Under the tutelage of John Clayton and Bob Hurst, he performed in Vietnam and India with Shorter and Hancock. While in school, he toured with the Roy Hargrove Quintet and the Heath Brothers Quartet in North America and Europe. Currently Sanders plays and records with many up and coming musicians in jazz. In his words: “I'm lucky enough to have found my calling. I hope to be able to touch people and make a difference in their life through the magic of music." [courtesy of centrum.org]

California native Justin Brown began playing the drums when he was just two years old. His talent was recognized early on and Justin was the recipient of full scholarships to a number of prestigious music programs, including the UC Berkeley Young Musician's Summer Program and the Stanford Jazz Workshop's Summer Jazz Camp. By the time he graduated from Berkeley High School, Justin had already performed at several jazz festivals around the United States and was also a member of the National 2002 GRAMMY High School Jazz Combo.

In August 2002, Justin was chosen from numerous applicants from around the country to receive a fellowship to participate in the inaugural Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, an intensive performance-based jazz studies program at the University of the Pacific (UOP) in Stockton, CA. After two years at the Brubeck Institute, Justin moved to New York City to attend the Julliard School on full scholarship. Since then, this skilled young drummer has performed and toured with other rising young jazz stars including Vijay Iyer, Peter Apfelbaum, and Rudresh Mahanthappa. [courtesy of stanfordjazz.org]
Be sure to listen to both these stellar players on Gerald Clayton's first CD, Two Shade. Two Shade was released on ArtistShare on July 1st, for more information, or to participate in this exciting project today, please visit the Gerald Clayton project page.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=41160