Gerald Clayton Trio
Jazz Piano
The magic of the moment
For Duke Ellington, it was all very simple: he spoke about good music and the other kind, with the only yardstick being how it sounds. The New York pianist Gerald Clayton is also on a constant search for music that sounds good. And he is now coming to the Elbphilharmonie with his trio on that account. Born in Utrecht in 1984 and raised in California, Clayton is focused on the »magic of the moment« as the measure of all things.
The defined structures of a song serve as a starting point for nimble improvisations and extensive conversations with his colleagues on the double bass and drums. Clayton comes from a musical family. His Dutch mother is a classical pianist and his American father John Clayton is a well-known jazz bassist and big-band arranger.
Gerald Clayton’s mentor is the saxophonist Charles Lloyd, a musical mystic and pioneer of spiritual jazz, with whom he performed in the Grand Hall in January 2022 as part of celebrations marking the Elbphilharmonie’s 5th birthday. The pianist’s playing exudes great sensitivity and depth, qualities that come through more clearly than ever on his latest album »Bells on Sand«.
Performers
Gerald Clayton Trio
Gerald Clayton piano
Joe Sanders bass
Greg Hutchinson drums
Estimated end time
21:15
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