Bassist, composer, arranger and producer, John Clayton is a busy man. He is a GRAMMY® winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, Yo Yo Ma, and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few.
John was the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (The Netherlands) from 1980-1984. In 1986, John co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled the Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, he also directs the educational components of Centrum, the Port Townsend Jazz Festival, and the Vail Jazz Workshop.
Six-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist, composer and band leader Gerald Clayton earned recent Recording Academy recognition for Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard, his debut release on Blue Note Records. On April 11, 2025, Gerald Clayton released of his third Blue Note album Ones & Twos featuring vibraphonist Joel Ross, flutist Elena Pinderhughes, trumpeter Marquis Hill, and drummer Kendrick Scott, with post-production by Kassa Overall.
Collaborating over the years with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Terence Blanchard, John Scofield, Terri Lyne Carrington, Peter Bernstein, Ambrose Akinmusire, Gretchen Parlato, Ben Wendel, the Clayton Brothers Quintet, and legendary bandleader Charles Lloyd, Clayton currently serves as Director of Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra following his service as Musical Director for Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour in 2016.
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