Like father, like son
Pianist and composer Gerald Clayton brings his distinctive jazz voice to the Center this March, continuing a family legacy of musical excellence. The six-time GRAMMY® nominee, son of renowned bassist John Clayton, has carved out a career defined by innovation, collaboration, and fearless exploration.
Gerald Clayton joins Jazz Series
In September of last year, bassist John Clayton and the ETHEL Quartet performed as part of this season’s Jazz series. Now, his talented son Gerald is on the bill with his own jazz sound. John knew his son was musical as a child and decided to take a “hands off” approach, letting Gerald discover what spoke to him. Gerald has made the piano his own, with no family expectations. “My dad had a dedicated focus and drive that I was lucky to grow around,” says Gerald. “Our relationship is one of mutual respect and love.”
His father was not the only music bigwig Gerald has impressed. The celebrated music producer Don Was, who signed Gerald to Blue Note Records, says, “Gerald Clayton is one of the most accomplished, distinctive, and innovative pianists playing today.”
Learning on the bandstand
In an interview with Lara Downes at NPR, Clayton talked about how to learn to play an instrument. “For some musicians, the ‘classroom’ might be a club stage setting; they just learn on the bandstand,” he says. “They know how to play their instruments, but they don’t know how to really play. You have to ad-lib along to something the others are swinging with, but you don’t know the style yet.” It’s a classic case of “fake it ‘til you make it.”
Billy Childs and USC Thornton
Gerald didn’t have to fake it. He attended the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts and then moved on to a year at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron. He returned to Los Angeles to attend the Thornton School of Music at USC, where he studied with Billy Childs.
Clayton enjoyed working with Childs—a jazz piano icon—who, he says, pushed him off the deep end. “Just to spend time with him and to get his feedback was an experience I really cherish,” he told NPR.org. “He encouraged me to explore a wide range of musical lexicons while developing my own creative language.” Clayton had his opportunity to give back when he was appointed a 2024–25 artist-in-residence in jazz at USC Thornton.
“Being at Thornton was a special time for me,” says Gerald. “There was the camaraderie of like-minded students exploring new ideas, learning from each other and building life-long relationships.”
He had a lot he could share with them.
Jazz beyond traditional spaces
“We are past thinking that a type of music only belongs in one type of place,” says Clayton. He thinks it’s important for jazz musicians to mix things up. Play in a jazz club or play with a symphony orchestra or with a marching band. Don’t just stick to the traditional notes; ad-lib along to something you’re not very familiar with. “We are past thinking that music only belongs in a certain space,” says Clayton. “We’ve had jazz for 100 years but think about how many types of jazz have developed in that time. It belongs everywhere.”
That’s what jazz is all about.
Get your tickets to see Gerald Clayton perform at Samueli Theater on March 7 here.
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