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Gerald Clayton
piano

Four-time GRAMMY® - nominated pianist/composer, Gerald Clayton, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music under the instruction of piano icon, Billy Childs.  After a year of intensive study with NEA Jazz Master, Kenny Barron at The Manhattan School of Music, Clayton won second place in the 2006 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition.

Clayton has performed and recorded with such distinguished artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, John Scofield, Ben Williams, Terrell Stafford & Dick Oatts, Michael Rodriguez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Avishal Cohen, Peter Bernstein and the Clayton Brothers Quintet.  Clayton has also enjoyed an extended association since early 2013, touring and recording with saxophone legend, Charles Lloyd.

Clayton’s accomplishments include several years as Musical Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.  On his debut recording, Two Shade (ArtistShare), he earned a 2010 GRAMMY nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for this arrangement of Cole Porter’s “All of You.”  “Battle Circle,” his composition featured on The Clayton Brothers’ recording The New Song and Dance (ArtistShare), received a GRAMMY nomination for 2011’s Best Jazz Instrumental Composition.  He received 2012 and 2013 GRAMMY nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Bond:  The Paris Sessions (Concord) and Life Forum (Concord), his second and third album releases.

In 2016/17, Clayton turned his imaginative curiosity toward uncovering the essence of the Piedmont Blue experience and expression in early twentieth century Durham.  A Duke University commission, Clayton’s evening-length composition explored a mixed media performance that featured some of the most resonating voices in contemporary music.

The son of beloved bass player and composer, John Clayton, Clayton has enjoyed a familial apprenticeship from an early age.  He honors the legacy of his father and all his musical ancestors through a commitment to artistic exploration, innovation and reinvention.

Gerald Clayton
piano

Four-time GRAMMY® - nominated pianist/composer, Gerald Clayton, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music under the instruction of piano icon, Billy Childs.  After a year of intensive study with NEA Jazz Master, Kenny Barron at The Manhattan School of Music, Clayton won second place in the 2006 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition.

Clayton has performed and recorded with such distinguished artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, John Scofield, Ben Williams, Terrell Stafford & Dick Oatts, Michael Rodriguez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Avishal Cohen, Peter Bernstein and the Clayton Brothers Quintet.  Clayton has also enjoyed an extended association since early 2013, touring and recording with saxophone legend, Charles Lloyd.

Clayton’s accomplishments include several years as Musical Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.  On his debut recording, Two Shade (ArtistShare), he earned a 2010 GRAMMY nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for this arrangement of Cole Porter’s “All of You.”  “Battle Circle,” his composition featured on The Clayton Brothers’ recording The New Song and Dance (ArtistShare), received a GRAMMY nomination for 2011’s Best Jazz Instrumental Composition.  He received 2012 and 2013 GRAMMY nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Bond:  The Paris Sessions (Concord) and Life Forum (Concord), his second and third album releases.

In 2016/17, Clayton turned his imaginative curiosity toward uncovering the essence of the Piedmont Blue experience and expression in early twentieth century Durham.  A Duke University commission, Clayton’s evening-length composition explored a mixed media performance that featured some of the most resonating voices in contemporary music.

The son of beloved bass player and composer, John Clayton, Clayton has enjoyed a familial apprenticeship from an early age.  He honors the legacy of his father and all his musical ancestors through a commitment to artistic exploration, innovation and reinvention.