Gerald Clayton Trio at Tula’s
Tuesday, March 1, 7:30pm
Gerald Clayton Trio
Tula’s Nightclub and Restaurant
2214 Second Avenue (Belltown), Seattle
For Reservations call 206-443-4221
Cover Charge: $15 general; $13 Earshot members; $10 Students w/ ID
Partial funding for this performance is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Western Jazz Presenters Network.
At 26, pianist Gerald Clayton, the Netherlands-born son of LA bassist John Clayton, is one of the most talented of jazz up-and-comers. He is winning renown for his seamless embrace of everything from stride piano to 21st-century neo-soul.
The Down Beat 2008 Readers’ Poll named him one of the top pianists to watch. The Jazz Gallery in New York commissioned a composition from him, while the BBC Orchestra has performed another. His honors, still early in his career, include a prestigious award from the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, the title “Presidential Scholar in the Arts,” and second place in the Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition.
Clayton released his acclaimed debut recording as a leader, Two Shade, in 2009 on the fan-funded label, ArtistShare, with trio mates bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown.
It justified the praise that jazz critics had been according him – glowing assessments such as “Oscar-Peterson like style” and “huge, authoritative presence” (New York Times).
With praise like that, Clayton’s reputation has quickly grown as one of the most accomplished and stylish pianists in jazz’s younger ranks. His playing is solidly grounded in popular jazz styles with hints of more recent forms such as neo-soul and hip-hop, and he renders his amalgam with an embracing swing and style.
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We received word that Seattle resident and internationally known jazz photographer Ron Hudson passed away this morning.
The order and presentation of music on a recording or in a recital are every bit as important in the music producer’s skill set as is choosing what music to include. Had trumpeter Cuong Vu introduced his Vu-Tet’s Leaps of Faith with the title piece, or “Child-Like (for Vina),” it would have been easy to dismiss the recording as a well-intentioned experiment, descending into noise and chaos before making its point. Instead, Vu and co-producer/bassist Luke Bergman wisely introduce the album with three tried-and-true standards: “Body and Soul”; “All The Things You Are”; and “My Funny Valentine.”
