Grammy nominee Gerald Clayton comes to Rochester to play a concert in the Exodus to Jazz series with his Trio of bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown. The Trio will take the stage at 8:00 pm on February 12th at ETJ's new digs, the Reformation Lutheran Church on Chestnut in downtown Rochester, one of the great venues during the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Born in the Netherlands in 1984, Clayton grew up mostly in Los Angeles in a family of musicians including his father, bassist/composer John Clayton, and uncle, saxophonist Jeff Clayton. As professional jazz musician, he has performed with some of the most established names in Jazz such as Lewis Nash, Al Foster, Terrell Stafford and Clark Terry, including duo piano concerts with artists as diverse as Hank Jones, Benny Green, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller and Tamir Hendelman (who just happened to play the ETJ stage last month). He has also played with a number of the next generation of jazz innovators such as Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, and Kendrick Scott. From 2006-2008, Clayton toured extensively with Roy Hargrove in his quintet, big band, and funk groups and is currently a member of the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Clayton has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition for his composition Battle Circle from the "New Song and Dance" album that he recently did with the Clayton Brothers, which itself has been nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
The concert will start at 8:00 PM with two one-hour sets. Doors open at 7:00 pm. Ticket prices are Reserved table: $30; Reserved Theatre seats: $25; General Admission theatre seats: $20. Get more information and updates on the Exodus To Jazz website (while you're there, sign up for his posts from the site and to be added to his updates list.
We're in for a real treat as Clayton and the trio bring their sound that while steeped well in the tradition also give voice to his and his trio's more modern sides. To give you a taste, here's a video of the Trio playing Dizzy Gillespie's Con Alma last May:
And playing last month at Smalls in the Village in February 2009:
You can also head over to Clayton's site where some of his music may be streamed or download a track from Jose's post providing some details about the artist. Jazz@Rochester is one of the sponsors of the Exodus to Jazz series. Hope to see you out and hear these great sounds in this wonderful space.
Comments