Clayton Brothers Quintet

March 23, 2011

It isn’t surprising that jazz pianist Gerald Clayton started playing music very early in life.

“It just sort of made sense at a young age,” Clayton said. “I was always impersonating the sounds I heard around me. It was a natural progression.

“I was being exposed to the lifestyle at an early age and saw the camaraderie that exists in the jazz community,” he said. “It never seemed so much a job as a good lifestyle to me.”

Clayton, who just turned 27, is the son of bassist/composer John Clayton and nephew of saxophonist Jeff Clayton, founders of The Clayton Brothers, who will play the Savannah Music Festival on March 31.

“We’ve got a couple of CDs recorded together so we’ve got a lot of repertoire to choose from,” Clayton said. “It’s mostly new songs and dance music from the latest Clayton Brothers recording.”

At the age of 6, Clayton began taking piano lessons. “I was classically trained, but the whole time I was looking to jazz music,” he said. “Jazz is the type of music you learn by exposing yourself to it. The whole time I was definitely starting jazz but as far as piano lessons, it was classical. They’re all related.”

He has a stellar career of his own, but also tours with The Clayton Brothers and the
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. A year ago, Clayton was at the Savannah Music Festival with his own trio.

“It’s a great festival that brings together a lot of great musicians,” he said. “It has an aspect of education, as well. We gave some lectures and master classes and that sort of thing.”

Clayton hopes to get the chance to meet with young people again this year. “I think it’s definitely part of our responsibility when we’re taking on this music,” he said. “I’ve been doing more and more teaching and enjoying it.”

He’s also looking forward to performing again in Savannah. “Every performance brings a different vibe and different lessons,” Clayton said.

“It’s one thing to play at the Hollywood Bowl for thousands of people,” he said. “It’s another thing to play in a small club where people are sitting right next to you.

“It’s a different intimacy,” Clayton said. “I won’t say one’s better than the other because I enjoy them all.”

Credits

By: Linda Sickler

Savannahnow.com