Pianist Gerald Clayton officially hits the point of his career deserving wider attention with this latest album. First, he’s on the historic Blue Note label, and second, he’s releasing the de rigueur “Live At The Village Vanguard” album. The good news is that neither decision or move is contrived, as Clayton is one of the most important pianists of his generation. I’ve seen Clayton perform in similar incarnations and he’s one of the few that keeps a foot in the tradition while running forward to the finish line.
This quintet has Clayton with alto saxist Logan Richardson, Walter Smith III on tenor, drummer Marcus Gilmore and bassist Joe Sanders mixing and matching originals and standards. In trio format, the team is sublime with the pianist in rich form while Sanders stretches out on “Celia” while the leader gives a wonderful aria filled with inquisitive discoveries during the 13 minutes of “Body and Soul”. As an accompanist, Clayton throws read meat on the Monkishly fun bopper “A Light” with Richardson bopping with delight over Gilmore’s snappy sticks, and he flows with calm waters for Smith III’s glowing sax on “Patience Patients”. The team pulls out the stops with hard swinging by the horns and a ricocheting solo by Gilmore on the driver “Take the Coltrane” while the horns sigh with grace during a mournful “Rejuvenation Agenda”. Clayton and company sound modern enough for today’s generation and satisfyingly historic to give a smile to those who care enough about jazz’s legacy, both past and future. Excellent!