Clark Gayton is an American multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer and musicians' rights advocate.

Biography

Born as Carver Clark Gayton Jr. to Carver Clark Gayton and Mona Marie Lombard, Clark Gayton is a professional musician (trombone, euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, cornet, keyboards, piano), composer and producer. Clark studied music with Floyd Standifer, JoAnn Christen, Curry Morrison,

Julian Priester Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935) is an American jazz trombonist and occasional euphoniumist. He is sometimes credited "Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto". He has played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. Bio ...

Joe Brazil Joseph Brazil (August 25, 1927 – August 6, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist and educator. Local musicians and touring acts performed in his basement. He taught jazz at Garfield High School, co-founded the Black Music curriculum at the Uni ...

and Buddy Catlet while attending Garfield High School. After graduating from high school in 1981, Clark received a scholarship to attend the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

, where he studied with Phil Wilson, Tom Plsek and Tony Lada. He graduated in 1984 and moved to Oakland before moving to New York in 1987 where he lives to this day. Since living in New York, Clark has worked and recorded with some of the finest jazz musicians in the world, such as

Charles Tolliver Charles Tolliver (born 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and co-founder of Strata East Records. Biography Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1942 and moved with his family to New York City when he was 10. During his chi ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

, Wynton Marsalis and JALC,

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA ...

, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, the

Mingus Big Band The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...

, Ted Nash and Odeon, Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra, the

Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16 to 18 piece big band, one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of the swing era, founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 195 ...

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

, Nancy Wilson, and

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. Clark toured with

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

as part of the

Seeger Sessions Seeger is the surname of various people. Etymology ''Seeger'' is one of the variant forms of ''Seagar'', a surname of Middle English origin based on the given name ''Segar'', which was formed from Old English ''sæ'' ("sea") and ''gar'' ("spear"). ...

band. Clark has recorded or performed with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

Brazilian Girls Brazilian Girls is a band from New York, United States, known for their eclectic blend of electronic dance music with musical styles as diverse as tango, chanson, house, reggae and lounge (but no Brazilian rhythms at all). None of the member ...

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Sturgill Simpson John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, Bruno Mars, Bette Midler, Nora Jones, Usher, Steve Van Zandt, Beyoncé,

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

, Maxwell,

The Skatalites The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...

, and

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

, to name a few. He performs regularly with his band, Explorations in Dub, at Nublu in New York City. He was also a member of

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

's Midnight Ramble Band. He has appeared in the movies ''

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Is ...

'', ''

Sweet and Lowdown ''Sweet and Lowdown'' is a 1999 American comedy-drama mockumentary film written and directed by Woody Allen. Loosely based on Federico Fellini's film ''La Strada'', the film tells the fictional story, set in the 1930s, of self-confident jazz guit ...

'', and ''

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

''. He has performed frequently with

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

's house band as a substitute for

Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg is an American trombonist originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a former member of the house band on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk shows. Early life Rosenberg became a trombonist when his junior high in ...

. In addition, he is a strong advocate for musicians’ rights and has been a panelist for discussions about the online and independent music industry.

Family influence and early music history

He is the son of Carver Clark Gayton and Mona Marie Lombard and is the great-grand nephew of the legendary New Orleans musician, Manuel "Fess" Manetta. The first two professionally trained musicians on his maternal side were Jules and Deuce Manetta who founded the Pickwick Brass Band and played cornet and trombone, respectively. Deuce, trained classically in France, was said to be the first slide trombone player in New Orleans. Valve trombone was the instrument of choice at the time. Their nephew was Manuel Manetta. He began on violin and guitar but did his first paid work as a pianist for Countess

Willie Piazza Willie Vincent Piazza (c. 1865 – November 2, 1932) was a prostitute and brothel proprietor in the Storyville during that red light district's period of legal operation. From 1898 until the district's closure in 1917, Piazza worked as a madam a ...

. He played with

Buddy Bolden Charles Joseph "Buddy" Bolden (September 6, 1877 – November 4, 1931) was an African American cornetist who was regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of ragtime music, or "jass", which later c ...

in 1903. By 1910 he had mastered cornet, saxophone, and trombone. Manuel played at Tuxedo Hall with the Eagle band. He went to Chicago in 1913, then returned to New Orleans, played locally for five years. He went to Los Angeles in November 1919 to join

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was ...

. He returned home shortly afterwards and toured as pianist for with Martels' Family Band, then played piano in Ed Allen's Band on riverboats. He settled down in New Orleans where his versatility and musicianship enabled him to work with many bands and orchestras, including

Papa Celestin Oscar Phillip Celestin (January 1, 1884 – December 15, 1954) better known by stage name Papa Celestin was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Life and career Celestin was born in Napoleonville, Louisiana, to a Creole family, son of a s ...

's, Arnold Du Pas and Manual Perez's, and solo work at

Lulu White Lulu White (Lulu Hendley, ca. 1868 – August 20, 1931) was a brothel madam, procuress and entrepreneur in New Orleans, Louisiana during the Storyville period.Landau, EmilyLulu White, KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana, 2010-11-29. Accessed ...

's. In later years he became the most renowned teacher in New Orleans. He gave occasional public appearances well into his seventies, making a specialty of playing two brass instruments simultaneously. Manuel had a sister, Olivia, who had a son, Lawrence (trombone), and three daughters: Lucille (Clark's grandmother, piano), Dolly (Adams, played all instruments, mother of Justin, Placide, and Gerry Adams), and Gladys (piano). All were born in

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

Discography

* Clark Gayton & Neatherealm – ''Don't Try To Question'' 1995 (Ritual, Ltd.) * Neatherealm – ''JahMerican Jazz'' (Ritual, Ltd.) * Clark Gayton – ''Walk the Water'' 1999 (Ritual, Ltd.) * Clark Gayton – ''Sankofa!'' 2003 (Ritual, Ltd.) * Clark Gayton – ''Best of Clark Gayton'' 2008 (Ritual, Ltd.) * Clark and the SuperSlicks- “New York” 2013 (Ritual, LTD)

As sideman

* Steel Pulse Rastafarian Centennial (trombone, vocals) 1992 * Skadanks “Give Thanks” 1994 (trombone) * Mingus Big Band “Que Viva Mingus” 1997 * Dr. John “Anotha Zone” 1998 (trombone) *

Cornell Campbell Cornel Campbell aka Don Cornel or Don Gorgon (born 23 November 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer, best known for his trademark falsetto voice, and his recordings at Studio One in the late 1960s and his later work with Bunny Lee i ...

– ''Big Things'' (Trombone) 2000 * Peter Salett – ''Heart of Mine'' (Trombone) 2000 *

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of l ...

– ''Let Me Be the One'' (Trombone) 2000 *

George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Bake ...

– ''Merryteria'' (Trombone) 2000 *

Monday Michiru is a Japanese American actress, singer, and songwriter whose music encompasses and fuses a wide variety of genres including jazz, dance, pop, and soul. She is arguably best known for being a pioneer of the acid jazz movement in Japan in the ...

– ''4 Seasons'' (Trombone, Tuba) 2001 *

– '' All This Time'' (Trombone) 2001 * Maxwell – ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' (Trombone) 2001 *

Barney McAll Barney McAll (born Melbourne, Australia, 1966) is a jazz pianist and composer who lives in Melbourne, Australia. McAll joined Gary Bartz's band in 1997, and has also played with the Josh Roseman Unit, Fred Wesley and the JB's, Groove Collective, ...

– ''Release the Day'' (Trombone) 2001 * Monday Michiru – ''Selections 1997–2000'' (Trombone, Tuba) 2001 * Jephte Guillaume Bourique Le 2001 * Paul Peress – ''Awakening'' (Trombone, Horn Arrangements) 2002 * Jah Works – ''Bassmentality'' (Trombone) 2002 *

Dave Stryker Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany. Career Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebr ...

– ''Blue to the Bone III'' (Trombone) 2002 * Tom Jones – '' Mr. Jones'' (Trombone) 2002 *

Bill Mobley Joseph William Mobley (born April 7, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Early life and education Mobley was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Both of his parents were musicians. Mobley learned piano, his mother's instrument, from ...

and the Space Time Big Band – ''New Light'' (Trombone, Soloist) 2002 *

John Fedchock John William Fedchock (born September 18, 1957) is an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and arranger. Early life and education Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University and the Eastman School of Music at the ...

New York Big Band – ''No Nonsense'' (Trombone) 2002 *

– '' She's a Queen: A Collection of Hits'' (Trombone, Horn Arrangements) 2002 * Tom Browne – ''Tom Browne Collection'' (Trombone) 2002 * Gaijin à Go-Go – ''Happy–55–Lucky'' (Trombone) 2003 *

Dan Zanes Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American former member of the popular 1980s band the Del Fuegos and is now the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. History Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a p ...

and Friends – ''House Party'' (Tuba) 2003 *

Julia Darling Julia Rose Darling (21 August 1956 – 13 April 2005) was an English novelist, poet and dramatist. Early life and education Darling was born in 1956 in 8 College Street, Winchester—the house Jane Austen died in. Her parents were John Ramsay D ...

– ''Julia Darling'' (Trombone, Trombonium) 2003 * Cannabis Cup Band – ''Live Joint'' (Trombone) 2003 *

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

– ''

Moodring ''Moodring'' is the third studio album by American singer Mýa, released on June 26, 2003, by A&M and Interscope Records. Before Mýa began to work on what would eventually be her third studio album, she participated in prior engagements which w ...

'' (Trombone) 2003 * Sting – ''

Sacred Love ''Sacred Love'' is the seventh studio album by Sting. The album was released on 29 September 2003. The album featured smoother, R&B-style beats and experiments collaborating with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar player Anoushka Shanka ...

'' (Trombone) 2003 * '' Barbershop 2: Back in Business Original Soundtrack'' (Trombone) 2004 * Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel – '' Buzz'' (Trombone, Bass Trombone) 2004 *

Mocean Worker Mocean Worker (pronounced "motion worker") is the recording alias of jazz musician and producer Adam Dorn. Biography Philadelphia native Adam Dorn is the son of renowned jazz and R'n'B producer Joel Dorn. He grew up around the jazz and R&B disc ...

– ''Enter the Mowo!'' (Trombone) 2004 * David Pilgrim – ''Island Soul'' (Trombone) 2004 *

– ''Lazy Lover P' (Composer, Trombone, Vocals (background)) 2004 * Nasio – ''Living in the Positive

onus Tracks Onus, from Latin, indicates accountability/responsibility Onus may also refer to: * Blame * Burden (disambiguation) * Legal burden of proof (''onus probandi'') As a surname * Bill Onus (1906-68), Australian Aboriginal political activist, boo ...

' (Trombone) 2004 * Brazilian Girls – ''

'' (Composer, Trombone, Vocals (background)) 2005 * Ted Nash – ''Espada de la Noche'' (Trombone, Tuba, Horn (Baritone)) 2005 * JJ Sansaverino – ''Sunshine After Midnight'' (Trombone) 2005 *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

– ''

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

'' (trombone) 2005 * Kerry Linder – ''Sail Away With Me'' (Trombone) 2005 * Steven Bernstein – ''MTO Vol. 1'' (Trombone) 2006 * Brazilian Girls Talk to La Bomb 2006 *

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

"It's a Man's World", Live (Trombone) 2006 *

– '' A Girl Like Me'' (Trombone) 2006 * Nasio Fontaine ''Rise Up'' (Trombone) 2007 * Duo Live ''The Color of Money'' (Trombone) 2007 *

– '' Build a Nation'' (Trumpet) 2007 *

– ''With Love'' (Trombone) 2007 *

– '' Live in Dublin'' (Trombone, vocals) 2007 * East Village Opera Company – ''Olde School'' (Trombone) 2008 * Brazilian Girls – ''

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

'' (Tuba) 2008 *

Lila Downs Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968 * *) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...

– ''

Shake Away ''Shake Away'' ( es, link=no, Ojo de Culebra) is the sixth studio album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs. It was released on 2 September 2008 on Manhattan Records. After attaining international success in 2001 with her first English record ...

'' (Trombone, valve trombone, tuba) 2008 * Dispatch – '' Live Zimbabwe'' (Trombone) 2008 * The Swell Season “Strict Joy” (trombone) * GPSM Unit 2009 * Bruce Springsteen “Wrecking Ball” 2012 * Glen Hansard “Rhythm and Repose” 2012 * Sturgil Simpson “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” 2014 *

– ''Live in Leipzig'' (Trombone, vocals) 2013 * Lucio Kropf – ''Pela Rua'' (Trombone) 2015 * Sting and Shaggy Trombone 2018 * Bruce Springsteen “Western Stars” (trombone) 2019 * Steve Slagle “Nascentia” 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gayton, Clark Living people Musicians from Louisiana Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Berklee College of Music alumni American trombonists The Lounge Lizards members E Street Band members