Pianist Gerald Clayton with his Blue Note Records debut Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard. Recorded at the legendary NYC jazz club with a quintet of longtime collaborators—Logan Richardson on alto saxophone, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Joe Sanders on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums—Happening spotlights Clayton’s layered identity as a leader. The quintet co-navigates four of Clayton’s original compositions including “Rejuvenation Agenda,” which is available to stream or download today, as well as Duke Ellington’s “Take the Coltrane.” Trio takes of Bud Powell’s “Celia” and the standard “Body and Soul” cast a mood that lingers long after the record ends.
Pianist Gerald Clayton with his Blue Note Records debut Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard. Recorded at the legendary NYC jazz club with a quintet of longtime collaborators—Logan Richardson on alto saxophone, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Joe Sanders on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums—Happening spotlights Clayton’s layered identity as a leader. The quintet co-navigates four of Clayton’s original compositions including “Rejuvenation Agenda,” which is available to stream or download today, as well as Duke Ellington’s “Take the Coltrane.” Trio takes of Bud Powell’s “Celia” and the standard “Body and Soul” cast a mood that lingers long after the record ends.