{"id":1137,"date":"2020-07-06T06:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T11:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2021-06-24T17:04:57","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T22:04:57","slug":"clayton-happening-vanguard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/clayton-happening-vanguard\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Gerald Clayton\u2019s \u2018Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Pianist Gerald Clayton first came to the attention of many jazz fans by way of the late Roy Hargrove’s quintet on Earfood<\/em> (Emarcy, 2008). Since then, the musician has grown to be a fine bandleader in his own right. He has released nothing but high-quality work, with a notable artistic shift between 2011’s Bond: The Paris Sessions <\/em>(Emarcy) to 2013’s Life Forum<\/em> (Concord). On the exceptional Life Forum<\/em>, Clayton expanded beyond the piano trio setting of his past recordings and included singers, a horn section, and poignant poetry. Tributary Tales <\/em>(Motema), released in 2017, continued the strong returns of this new format with slightly different personnel. Although there are no singers or poets on Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard<\/em> (2020), the accomplished musicianship makes it obvious why Clayton was recently signed to the legendary Blue Note Records. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This stellar live set has Clayton joined by Logan Richardson (alto saxophone), Walter Smith III (tenor saxophone), Joe Sanders (bass) and Marcus Gilmore (drums). The quintet has such strong chemistry that one could be forgiven for thinking that Smith and Gilmore had been a part of Clayton’s past recordings as a bandleader. Happening<\/em> is made up of seven extended performances that are tastefully balanced between Clayton originals and well-known standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many standout moments in Happening<\/em>, one of them coming in the form of Clayton’s Tributary Tales<\/em> composition “A Light”. The tune fully justifies its run-time, which is over four minutes longer than the original studio recording. Clayton opens \u201cA Light\u201d with an interesting abstract version of the motif before the rest of the band joins in on the fun. Gilmore’s drumming is exceptionally tight throughout the tune, which evolves into an incredible bout of short dexterous piano and sax solos. With the energy that Clayton, Richardson, and Smith bring to the table, it’s almost as if the bandmates are challenging each other with each passing solo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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