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Jay Clayton 

Jay Clayton is an internationally acclaimed vocalist, composer, and educator, whose work boldly spans the terrain between jazz and new music. 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 formed a long-term association with renowned minimalist composer Steve Reich.

With more than 40 recordings to her credit, Clayton has appeared alongside such formidable artists as Muhal Richard Abrams, Kirk Nurock, Stanley Cowell, Lee Konitz, and Fred Hersch, as well as fellow vocalists Jeanne Lee, Norma Winstone, Urszula Dudziak, and Bobby McFerrin. Clayton currently records for Sunnyside and her most recent album, Brooklyn 2000, met with enthusiastic critical praise. Her many accomplishments include grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and Chamber Music America (2004). She has worked with thousands of students in the United States and across the globe.

Watch and listen to a video from one of Jay’s recent birthday celebration concerts.
Be patient, it can take a few minutes for the video to start, but it will eventually.  🙂

New!  –  Latest Jay Clayton Recordings

There are relationships that always remain fruitful. Maybe it is because the discourse never lags or there is unflagging affection. Vocalist Jay Clayton and percussionist Jerry Granelli have been making music together for forty years and their musical connection continues to surprise as their affinity deepens.

Their new recording, Alone Together, shows how the spark of creativity has only brightened over the duo’s long affiliation.

The return of Jay Clayton and Jerry Granelli’s duo, which began in 1986, should be celebrated, as their work together has always been singularly expansive. Their brilliant Alone Together provides listeners with a chapter in their continuing narrative in sound e