Gerald William Clayton (born May 11, 1984) is a Dutch-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues o ...

Biography

Clayton attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts; USC's Thornton School of Music, where he studied piano with Billy Childs; and the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philade ...

. He has performed and recorded with

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing style ...

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard'' maga ...

Ben Wendel Ben Wendel is a grammy nominated jazz saxophonist, bassoonist, and pianist who is a founding member of the band Kneebody. He has worked with Snoop Dogg, Ignacio Berroa, Daedelus, Taylor Eigsti, Gerald Clayton, and Tigran Hamasyan Career Wend ...

, Dianne Reeves, Terri Lyne Carrington,

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, Dayna Stephens,

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, Ben Williams, Terell Stafford &

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, Michael Rodriguez, Avishai Cohen, Sachal Vasandani, Gretchen Parlato, and the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Clayton also has enjoyed an extended association since early 2013, touring and recording with saxophone legend, Charles Lloyd. 2016 marks his second year as Musical Director of the

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...

On Tour, a project that features his trio with

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, Nicolas Payton, and

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. In 2012 and 2013, Clayton received Grammy nominations for ''The Paris Sessions'' (Concord) and ''Life Forum'' (Concord). In 2010, he was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition for "Battle Circle", which is featured on the Clayton Brothers album, ''New Song and Dance''. In 2009, he was nominated for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his solo on

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's "All of You" from his debut album, '' Two-Shade''. His nomination competed with established jazz musicians Terence Blanchard and

, with whom Clayton toured for several years. The Clayton Brothers' ''Brother to Brother'' received a nomination in the

Best Jazz Instrumental Album The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album is an award that was first presented in 1959. History From 1959 to 2011, the Award was called Best Instrumental Jazz Album, Individual or Group. In 2012, it was shortened to Best Jazz Instrumenta ...

category. Gerald Clayton plays piano on the album, which holds loosely to a theme of songs that were made famous by Thad, Hank and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

. Clayton's piano playing was described by Ben Ratliff of ''The New York Times'' as " illingup the available space" with Clayton "busying himself with prettiness and authority...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." Clayton is the son of American jazz bassist John Clayton.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Live albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Piano credits

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Gerald Clayton official websiteFlickr photos of Gerald Clayton"Gerald Clayton Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard"
NPR
Gerald Clayton Interview with Linus Wyrsch, breakthruradio.com, November 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Gerald 1984 births Living people Dutch emigrants to the United States USC Thornton School of Music alumni American jazz pianists American male pianists Los Angeles County High School for the Arts alumni African-American jazz musicians 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra members Motéma Music artists Verve Records artists Concord Records artists African-American pianists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people Blue Note Records artists ArtistShare artists