- Jay Clayton
Jay Clayton (born
October 28 ,1941 in Youngstown,Ohio , as "Judith Colantone") is an internationally acclaimedavant-garde vocalist andjazz educator.Early years
After studying at
Miami University inOxford, Ohio she came toNew York City taking lessons from musicians such asSteve Lacy . Together with her husband, percussionist Frank Clayton, she presented "Jazz at the Loft" in their home in about 1967:Sam Rivers ,Cecil McBee ,Joanne Brackeen ,Dave Liebman ,Pete Yellin ,Hal Galper ,Jeanne Lee ,Bob Moses ,Junie Booth ,John Gilmore , andJane Getz were among the featured musicians. Clayton also began to earn her own reputation as an avant-garde singer, developing her personal wordless vocabulary.Musical career
Clayton's pioneering vocal explorations placed her at the forefront of the free jazz movement and loft scene in the 1970s, where she counted among the first singers to incorporate poetry and electronics into her improvisations. She performed and recorded with
Muhal Richard Abrams , with John Fischer's Interface, andByron Morris 's Unity. For a long time she was a member of theSteve Reich ensemble, performing the compositions of the minimalist composer. She was one of the first singers to record composerJohn Cage ’s vocal music.Clayton's own performance dates appear under the heading the "Jay Clayton Project", while she titles her work with other esteemed vocalists "Different Voices". She co-leads a trio, "Outskirts", with drummer
Jerry Granelli and saxophonistJane Ira Bloom .With more that 40 recordings to her credit, Clayton has appeared alongside such formidable artists as
Bud Shank ,Charlie Haden ,Kirk Nurock ,Stanley Cowell ,Lee Konitz ,Julian Priester ,George Cables ,Gary Bartz ,Gary Peacock andFred Hersch , as well as fellow vocalists Jeanne Lee, Lauren Newton,Urszula Dudziak , andBobby McFerrin . In 1971, Clayton began leading her own workshops, partly together with Michelle Berne and Jeanne Lee.Teaching career
From 1981 onwards, Clayton taught at
Cornish College of the Arts inSeattle , Washington for 20 years. In addition to that tenure, Clayton taught for several semesters at New York'sCity College , at several European universities (Graz (Austria), Berlin, Cologne, Munich). She developed the vocal program for the "Banff Center" (Canada), which she co-taught with fellow vocalistSheila Jordan . The two are also teaching together at "Vermont Jazz Workshop" and at "Jazz in July" (at theUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst ). Clayton has brought her masterclasses to theManhattan School of Music and thePeabody Conservatory . Her book, Sing Your Story: A Practial Guide for Learning and Teaching the Art of Jazz Singing, was published in 2001.Other activities
In 1979, Clayton acted as the artistic director for the first ever
Women in Jazz Festival (produced by Cobi Narita). She served as a consultant for ABC Cable's "Women in Jazz", compiling footage for the series. Clayton received grants from theNational Endowment for the Arts ,Meet the Composer , and "Chamber Music America".Discography
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =
Jane Ira Bloom ;Frank Clayton ;Larry Karush ;Harvie Swartz | year =1980| title =All Out| publisher =Anima| url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wzfyxqtgldse (
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =Don Lanphere | year =1988| title =Jay Clayton & Don Lanphere: TheJazz Alley Tapes| publisher =Hep Records | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:avfqxqlgld0e
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =| year =1988| title =Jay Clayton with the String Trio of New York| publisher =Westwind Records | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wvfqxqlgld0e
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =Stanley Cowell ;Gary Peacock | year =1995| title =Live at Jazz Alley| publisher =ITM Records | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jnfpxqehldhe
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =Jim Knapp | year =1995| title =Tito's Acid Trip| publisher =ITM Records| url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:knfpxqehldhe
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =| year =1997| title = Circle Dancing| publisher =Sunnyside Records | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fxfuxq8jldje
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =Jerry Granelli ;George Cables ;Anthony Cox ;Gary Bartz | year =2001| title =Brooklyn 2000| publisher =Sunnyside Records| url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wzfuxqq0ldfe
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =Jerry Granelli| year =2001| title =Sound Songs| publisher =Winter & Winter | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fcfrxqr0ldde
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =| year =2002| title =An American Garden| publisher =Solo Winds | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jifqxqlaldse
*cite book| last =Clayton| first =Jane| authorlink =| coauthors =| year =2002| title =Beautiful Love| publisher =Sunnyside Records | url =http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hifqxqlaldseExternal links
* [http://www.jayclayton.com http://www.jayclayton.com]
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