The Clayton Brothers Release “The Gathering”
The Clayton Brothers are back at it with The Gathering, a new album available through ArtistShare. Centered around bassist John Clayton and saxophonist Jeff Clayton, the band’s regular lineup includes John’s son Gerald on piano, trumpeter Terrel Stafford and drummer Obed Calvaire, but the group extended the “family” on this go around with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and vibraphonist Stefon Harris.
The new additions add specific dimensions to the Clayton Brothers sound, says John.
“We realized that we’ve got so many friends in the business that we like playing with,” the bassist explained. “Wouldn’t it be fun if we could pair up with a couple of them and create this new Clayton Brothers sound? We wanted both bluesy and edgy, and we get that from both of these guys, individually and collectively. Wycliffe Gordon plays serious blues like other people can’t play. With Stefon, you can feel the roots, but you can hear the progress. You can hear the tomorrow.”
While the 12-track collection bounces through styles, the album’s celebratory spirit lies in the tracks “Friday Struttin’” and “This Ain’t Nothing But a Party”. The group’s energy seems so unstoppable, you can’t help but be swept up in the listening experience.
“It’s a testament to the way I feel about where we are now,” Jeff says. “We’ve had a couple of Grammy nominations – no wins, but we’re on the map – we’re playing and traveling, we all have our health and God is good, so it’s the happiest of times.”
The Gathering Track List:
- Friday Struttin’
- Tsunami
- Touch The Fog
- This Ain’t Nothin’ But A Party
- Stefon Fetchin’ It
- Don’t Explain
- Coupe De Cone
- SomeAlways
- Souvenir
- Blues Gathering
- Simple Pleasures
- The Happiest of Times
