As demonstrated with his stints with such luminaries such as Roy Hargrove, Charles Lloyd and his own dad John, pianist Gerald Clayton showed the packed house at the Moss Theatre on Saturday night that he is also quite a mathematician. He mixed and matched his all star cast of John/b, Jeff Hamilton/dr and Walter Smith III/ts in various and combinations of duos, trios and beyond to create a swinging Rubric Cube of sonic permutations.
Of the duets, Clayton opened up with father John on a lovely and flowing “I Should Care” that mixed the son’s playful bop with John’s rich and resonant bass, creating a familial conversation that richly heated up into exciting rapport. Walter Smith’s puffy tenor had Clayton alternate between piano and electronic keys to create tones that mixed elegiac reflections with spacey conjectures on “Him Or Me.” Using the keyboards as a bass line, Clayton delivered an exotic and expressive “I’ll Be Seeing You” with drum meister Hamilton, who used brushes and hands to sashay on the skins like Fred Astaire in Road to Rio.
Of the trios, a delicate piano-bass-tenor chamber delivery of Clayton’s own “Patience Patients” mixed Smith III’s cirrus tenor with a soft rice pilaf of ivories and lithe bluesy bowed bass strings, after which the leader stepped out and replaced in Dave Roberts fashion to have Smith bear down on an expressive “I’ll Be Seeing You” which featured the two leaders of the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra go back and forth in a friendly ping pong tournament.
The four gents got together for a gloriously broodoing and serpentine “Deep Dry Ocean” and a take of Billy Strathorn’s “UMMG” that had the leader mix Ellingtonia with fun Thelonious Monk angularity. Aptly, Clayton cleared the stage and closed out the set with a gorgeous solo interpretation of “’Round Midnight” mixing jazz, romance and impressionism to satisfy both those fans holding on to tradition and those looking for future directions. Judging by the 100 minute set Saturday night, Gerald Clayton, at 34, just may be the Pied Piper this generation is searching for.
Next show presented by The Jazz Bakery is Jose’ Rizo’s Mongrama 07/07