It would have been a miracle if Gerald Clayton had not become a musician: his father John is an acclaimed bassist, uncle Jeff a famous saxophonist and flutist – so Gerald didn’t really have a choice but to take on his family heritage. The nice thing, he once said, that he had already got deep insights into the life of jazz musicians as a child. Gerald Clayton has long stepped out of his father and uncle’s footsteps, and plays together with them occasionally. In 1984, when he was 25, the pianist, born in Utrecht and raised in California recorded his first album. At the time he was considered a whizz kid. One of his teachers was Kenny Barron. He toured with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and was on stage with Clark Terry, Charles Lloyd and Ambrose Akinmusire. Together with Terri Lyne Carrington and Christian McBride, he worked on the Ellington album “Money Jungle” with impressive results. For many years, he has been developing a sound with his trio, which is characterised by laissez-faire and warmth and finds its way somewhere between Bill Evans and Benny Green, traditional and contemporary, hard bop and mainstream. Bassist Joe Sanders has accompanied him for a very long time, drummer Kendrick Scott, who has worked with Lizz Wright and Pat Metheny amongst others, recently joined the band. Clayton’s latest album “Tributary Tales” released in spring has the energy of a musician who fully draws from a deep well always permits new influences.
