Pianist Gerald Clayton and his jazz trio opens the three-day festival with a night of swinging jazz on Friday evening in Garth Newel’s 200-seat concert hall.
Friday, June 11, 2010 7:30 pm
The doors open at 6:30 pm for drinks and gumbo.
VBJF Tickets:
Friday Only: $25 in advance/$30 day of show
Gerald Clayton was born on May 11, 1984 in Utrecht, The Netherlands and moved to the United States at a young age. Gerald grew up in a musical family (his father is bassist/composer John Clayton and his uncle saxophonist Jeff Clayton) and was exposed to a variety of musical styles from a very young age. He studied classical piano with Mrs. Linda Buck and jazz piano and composition with Shelly Berg, Kenny Barron and Billy Childs.
Gerald was the winner of the Music Center Spotlight Awards in 2001. He also received the Shelley Manne Award for emerging young artists from the Los Angeles Jazz Society. In September of 2006, Gerald received Second Place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition.
Despite his young age, Gerald has already performed extensively with numerous outstanding musicians that include pianists Benny Green, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Barron, trumpeter Clark Terry, drummer Lewis Nash and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.