Gerald Clayton

Although born in Utrecht, Netherlands, on May 11, 1984, jazz pianist Gerald Clayton was raised in Los Angeles, where his father — famed jazz bassist and Grammy-winning arranger John Clayton — served as Artistic Director of Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic for several years. During the early stages of his career, Gerald performed alongside his father as a member of the Clayton Brothers and worked as a sideman for jazz artists like Diana Krall and Roy Hargrove. He launched his solo career with 2009's Two-Shade and earned a Grammy nomination for his cover of Cole Porter's "All of You." His two follow-up albums, Bond: The Paris Sessions and Life Forum, were also nominated for Grammys, as was his original composition "Battle Circle," which appeared on the Clayton Brothers' 2010 album New Song and Dance. While continuing to perform with the Clayton Brothers, Gerald continued releasing solo albums like 2017's Tributary Tales and the 2020 concert album Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard.