Gerald Clayton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gerald Clayton
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 11, 1984 Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Labels | Blue Note Concord Verve ArtistShare Motéma |
| Associated acts | The Clayton Brothers Charles Lloyd Roy Hargrove Ambrose Akinmusire Dianne Reeves Peter Bernstein |
Gerald William Clayton (born May 11, 1984) is a super talented American jazz pianist and composer. He was born in the Netherlands but grew up in Los Angeles, California. Gerald is famous for his amazing piano playing and for writing beautiful jazz music. He comes from a musical family, and his father is also a well-known jazz musician.
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Gerald Clayton's Musical Journey
Gerald Clayton started his musical journey by going to special schools for the arts. He attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. After high school, he studied piano at the USC Thornton School of Music with Billy Childs. He also learned from Kenny Barron at the Manhattan School of Music. These schools helped him become the incredible musician he is today.
Gerald has played and recorded music with many famous jazz artists. Some of these include Roy Hargrove, Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, and Charles Lloyd. Since 2013, he has toured a lot with saxophone legend Charles Lloyd. He was also the Musical Director for the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour for two years. This project featured his trio with other great musicians like Ravi Coltrane.
Awards and Recognitions
Gerald Clayton has been nominated for several Grammy Awards, which are big awards in the music world.
- In 2009, he was nominated for "Best Improvised Jazz Solo" for his playing on the song "All of You." This was from his first album, Two-Shade.
- In 2010, he was nominated for "Best Instrumental Composition" for his song "Battle Circle."
- His albums Bond: The Paris Sessions and Life Forum also received Grammy nominations for "Best Jazz Instrumental Album" in 2011 and 2013.
- In 2020, he was nominated for two more Grammys: "Best Jazz Instrumental Album" for Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard and "Best Improvised Jazz Solo" for "Celia."
In 2011, he won an Edison Award for "Best International Jazz Album" for his album Bond: The Paris Sessions.
Gerald's father is John Clayton, who is also a very famous jazz bassist. Gerald often plays with his father and uncle in a group called the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Their album Brother to Brother was also nominated for a Grammy. Critics have praised Gerald's piano playing, saying he fills the music with beauty and confidence.
Gerald Clayton's Albums
Gerald Clayton has released several albums as a lead artist and has also collaborated with many other musicians.
Studio Albums
Here are some of the studio albums Gerald Clayton has released:
| Title | Details |
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| Two-Shade |
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| Bond: The Paris Sessions |
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| Life Forum |
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| Tributary Tales |
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| Bells On Sand |
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Collaborative Albums
Gerald has also worked with other artists on these albums:
| Title | Details |
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| Reverence (Kendrick Scott featuring Walter Smith, Gerald Clayton, Mike Moreno and Derrick Hodge) |
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| While We're Still Young (Patrick Cornelius featuring Gerald Clayton, Jason Palmer, John Ellis, Kendrick Scott, Miles Okazaki, Nick Vayenas and Peter Slavov) |
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| Let Loose (Peter Bernstein featuring Gerald Clayton, Doug Weiss and Bill Stewart) |
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| Songs and Photographs (Anthony Wilson featuring Gerald Clayton, Jay Bellerose, Joshua Crumbly and Patrick Warren) |
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| Sanctuary (with Matt Slocum and Larry Grenadier) |
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Live Albums
Gerald has also released live albums, which capture his performances in front of an audience:
| Title | Details |
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| Happening: Live at The Village Vanguard |
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