Centrum’s Artistic Director for Jazz, John Clayton, will be launching his new website soon! Available at http://www.johnclaytonjazz.com/, the website will be the central place for information and news about one of the most beloved and influential figures in contemporary jazz.

John Clayton has gained prominence as performer, composer, and arranger in both the jazz and classical fields. He began a two-year association with Count Basie and his orchestra as a player, while developing his compositional and arranging skills, and relocated to Los Angeles in 1984 following five years as principal bassist with the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

He currently conducts, composes, and co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and received a 1991 Grammy nomination for his composition “Brush This” from Groove Shop, their debut recording. 1991 also was the year that John’s stirring arrangement of “The Star Spangled Banner” for Whitney Houston resulted in the fastest selling single in the history of Arista Records.

The esteem in which Clayton is held is evidenced by his recent election as president of the 1,500 member International Bassist Association. As Leonard Feather attests while recognizing John as “one of the six best possibilities to assume the mantle of Miles Davis,” John Clayton is “rapidly becoming one of the most internationally respected bassists and composers, with good reason.”

In February, Clayton won a Grammy for "I’m Gonna Live Till I Die," arranged for Queen Latifah.