Gerald Clayton
Background information
Born (1984-05-11) May 11, 1984
Utrecht, Netherlands
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Piano
LabelsBlue Note
Concord
Verve
ArtistShare
Motéma
Websitewww.geraldclayton.com

Gerald William Clayton (born May 11, 1984) is a Dutch-born American jazz pianist, composer and bandleader.

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.[1]

He has performed and recorded with Roy Hargrove, Diana Krall, Ben Wendel, Dianne Reeves, Terri Lyne Carrington, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, Ben Williams, Terell Stafford & Dick Oatts, 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 On Tour, a project that features his trio with Ravi Coltrane, Nicolas Payton, and Raul Midón.

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's "All of You" from his debut album, Two-Shade. His nomination competed with established jazz musicians Terence Blanchard and Roy Hargrove, with whom Clayton toured for several years.

The Clayton Brothers' Brother to Brother received a nomination in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album 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. 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...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."[2]

Clayton is the son of American jazz bassist John Clayton.

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums with details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Jazz
[3]		 US
Trad.
Jazz
[4]
Two-Shade ——
Bond: The Paris Sessions
  • Released: 2010[6]
  • Label: EmArcy
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 2512
Life Forum
  • Released: 2013[7]
  • Label: Concord
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 139
Tributary Tales
  • Released: April 21, 2017[8]
  • Label: Motéma
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming
Bells On Sand
  • Released: April 1, 2022
  • Label: Blue Note
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming

Collaborative albums

List of collaborative albums with details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Jazz
[9]		 US
Trad.
Jazz
[10]
Reverence
(Kendrick Scott featuring Walter Smith, Gerald Clayton, Mike Moreno and Derrick Hodge)
  • Released: August 13, 2009
  • Label: Criss Cross
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 ——
While We're Still Young
(Patrick Cornelius featuring Gerald Clayton, Jason Palmer, John Ellis, Kendrick Scott, Miles Okazaki, Nick Vayenas and Peter Slavov)
  • Released: February 12, 2016
  • Label: Whirlwind
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 ——
Let Loose
(Peter Bernstein featuring Gerald Clayton, Doug Weiss and Bill Stewart)
  • Released: May 6, 2016
  • Label: Smoke Sessions
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 2010
Songs and Photographs
(Anthony Wilson featuring Gerald Clayton, Jay Bellerose, Joshua Crumbly and Patrick Warren)
  • Released: December 7, 2018
  • Label: Goat Hill
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 ——
Sanctuary
(with Matt Slocum and Larry Grenadier)
  • Released: May 31, 2019
  • Label: Sunnyside
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 ——

Live albums

List of live albums with details and chart positions
Title Details
Happening: Live at The Village Vanguard
  • Released: July 10, 2020[11]
  • Label: Blue Note
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming

Singles

As lead artist

List of singles as lead artist with year and album name
Title Year Album
"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
(with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)		 2021 Music from the Movie MLK/FBI
"Theme from MLK/FBI"
(with Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
List of singles as featured artist with year and album name
Title Year Album
"Smooth and You"
(Ralph Johnson featuring Gerald Clayton)		 2020 —
"Hourglass Sea"
(Sachal Vasandani featuring Gerald Clayton)		 2020 —

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, showing year released, other artist(s) featured, and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Listen Here" 2013 Jackie Ryan Listen Here

Piano credits

Year Artist Title
2020 Charles Lloyd 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero)
2018 John Scofield Combo 66
2016 Peter Bernstein Let Loose
2016 Ben Wendel What We Bring
2015 Matthew Stevens Woodwork
2013 Terri Lyne Carrington Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue
2011 Ambrose Akinmusire When the Heart Emerges Glistening
2010 Dick Oatts & Terell Stafford Quintet Bridging the Gap
2009 Melissa Morgan Until I Met You
2008 Roy Hargrove Earfood
2006 Diana Krall From This Moment On
2006 Diana Krall Christmas Songs
2006 Roberta Gambarini Easy to Love
2005 Laura Welland Dissertation on the State of Bliss
2004 Teedra Moses Complex Simplicity
2003 Bobby Rodriguez Trumpet Talk

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Work Result Reference
2011 Edison Awards Best International Jazz Album Bond: The Paris Sessions Won
2009 Grammy Awards Best Improvised Jazz Solo "All of You" Nominated [12]
2010 Best Instrumental Composition "Battle Circle" Nominated
2011 Best Jazz Instrumental Album Bond: The Paris Sessions Nominated
2013 Life Forum Nominated
2020 Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard Nominated
Best Improvised Jazz Solo "Celia" Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Gerald Clayton - Bluenote". Bluenote.
  2. ↑ "The Clayton Brothers". December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Gerald Clayton — Chart History: Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Gerald Clayton — Chart History: Traditional Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Two-Shade by Gerald Clayton". Apple Music. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Bond - The Paris Sessions by Gerald Clayton". Apple Music. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Life Forum by Gerald Clayton". Apple Music. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Tributary Tales by Gerald Clayton". Apple Music. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Gerald Clayton — Chart History: Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Gerald Clayton — Chart History: Traditional Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Happening: Live at The Village Vanguard by Gerald Clayton". Apple Music. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Gerald Clayton - Awards and Nominations". Grammys. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
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