SoulPatch Music Productions is proud to present GRAMMY-winning bassist/composer/arranger John Clayton and acclaimed pianist Gerald Clayton with a program featuring the music of social justice and the civil rights in tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The performance will take place on Monday April 15th, at 7:30p at the Old Church Concert Hall and will also feature Portland’s BRAVO Youth Orchestra’s "Esperanza Spalding String Ensemble" along with other special guests. The tickets are $10 for students and seniors, $15 general admission pre-order, and $20 at the door, and sold through Eventbrite. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Portland’s historic Vancouver Ave Baptist Church— a pillar and a stalwart of the African-American community, and the only church in Portland where Dr. King preached, giving his sermon “The Future Of Integration” in 1961. This event is made possible by a grant from Regional Arts and Culture Council. SoulPatch Music Productions is a small, Portland-based organization presenting world-class jazz performances in intimate venues and at reasonable prices.
John Clayton
With two GRAMMY awards and an additional ten nominations, John Clayton has gained international renown as a composer, arranger, conductor, producer, educator, and an extraordinary bassist in constant demand worldwide.
Playing professionally while still in elementary school, at 16 he enrolled in bassist Ray Brown’s jazz class at UCLA, beginning a close relationship that lasted more than three decades. After graduating he toured with the Monty Alexander Trio (1975-77), the Count Basie Orchestra (1977-79), and settled in as principal bassist with the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands and as a bass instructor at The Royal Conservatory, The Hague, Holland. Returning to the US in 1985, John Clayton co-founded the award-winning Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, and became recognized worldwide as a first-call arranger.
His resume is an endless list of stars and legends across many genres of music: Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Etta James, Paul McCartney, Barbara Morrison, Nina Simone, Charles Aznavour, Qunicy Jones, Phil Collins, Natalie Cole, Michael Buble, Dr. John, Queen Latifah, George Benson, Diana Krall, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Count Basie, Hank Jones, Carmen McRae, Milt Jackson, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Gene Harris, Monty Alexander, Randy Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, Rosemary Clooney, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Nancy Wilson, Regina Carter and countless others. Career highlights include the platinum selling arrangement of "Star Spangled Banner" performed by Whitney Houston, GRAMMY-winning albums with Yo-yo Ma ("Songs of Joy And Peace") and Queen Latifah ("Trav'lin' Light"), and conductingQuincy Jones' 85th birthday celebrations at Umbria Jazz Festival and Hollywood Bowl.
Gerald Clayton
Four time GRAMMY-nominated pianist Gerald Clayton is one of the brightest and busiest of the new generation of young stars on the scene today-- relentlessly pushing and expanding the vocabulary and the boundaries of jazz.
Born in the Netherlands but growing up in Los Angeles, Gerald studied piano with Billy Childs at USC's Thornton School of Music, and with Kenny Barron at the Manhattan School of Music. He won second place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition in 2006.
Inclusive sensibilities have allowed him to perform and record with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, John Scofield Ben Williams, Terell Stafford & Dick Oatts, Michael Rodriguez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Avishai Cohen, Peter Bernstein, the Clayton Brothers Quintetand many others. Clayton also has toured and recorded with saxophone legend Charles Lloyd, enjoying an extended association with him since 2013. Since 2015 he has been the Musical Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour, a project that features his trio with Ravi Coltrane, Nicolas Payton, and Raul Midón.
