John Clayton at the 66th Annual Jazz Festival

Bassist, composer, arranger and producer John Clayton is a busy man. He is a Grammy winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, Yo Yo Ma, and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few.

John was the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 1980-1984. In 1986, John co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled The Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, he also directs the educational components of Centrum, The Port Townsend Jazz Festival, and the Vail Jazz Workshop.

It is John’s arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” that helped propel Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl (the recording went platinum). His recordings with the Clayton Brothers, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Count Basie and others are plentiful. John feels, “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘Learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.”

You may also like the following events from Doudna Fine Arts Center:

• This September, 12th September, 07:30 pm, Cultural Crossroads: Dvořák in America in Charleston
• This September, 20th September, 07:30 pm, Six Appeal in Charleston
• This October, 16th October, 07:30 pm, Shaun Boothe: The Unauthorized Biography Series in Charleston

Also check out other Music events in Charleston, Entertainment events in Charleston, Festivals in Charleston.