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In a way, it was sort of inevitable.
Gerald Clayton's father is Grammy-winning jazz bassist John Clayton. His uncle is saxophonist Jeff Clayton. For a Southern California boy growing up in Venice Beach, jazz was foundational.
"I grew up with a lot of exposure to the music and the life behind the music," says 32-year-old Clayton. "I was a little kid going to rehearsals and sound checks and seeing these grown men in the give and take of the music.
"It was a really warm, loving environment. It's always been a blessing having that sort of connection to my dad and all the hard work he put in."
Now, after years of playing with jazz greats including Diana Krall and Charles Lloyd, Clayton is touring internationally himself and launching a new album, "Tributary Tales," released April 21. His JazzSLC show Saturday at Capitol Theatre will be one of the first to feature the new material performed by a one-off quintet — Peter Bernstein on guitar, Rodney Green on drums, Joe Sanders on bass, Ben Wendel on saxophone, and Clayton on piano.
Clayton, whose mother is a Dutch linguistics professor, attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music before moving to New York City 10 years ago.
While still young in some jazz circles, he has become a fixture in his own right. This year, he's an artist in residence at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
After growing up listening to rock, soul and R&B in the '80s and '90s, Clayton now ticks off Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, among others, as his jazz influences. Reviewers have called his deft touch with standards "old school." Ten years ago, The New York Times predicted he'd be moving to Manhattan soon, noting his control over technique and the "arc" of a performance. "Those can be devastating strengths."
He doesn't mind the comparisons. "The narrative of our lives only makes sense considering the narrative that came before us," he says in a video introducing "Tributary Tales," a collection of mostly original work.
"We're all products of all the music we've been exposed to. I invite people to just have a taste — come out and hear and decide for yourself what the music is." —
Gerald Clayton Quintet
When • Saturday, April 29, 7:30 p.m.
Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $26.50, student discounts available; ArtTix outlets and artsaltlake.org