Clayton Trio Plays With Joy of Youth

The performance by the Gerald Clayton Trio on Monday night in Catalina Bar & Grill’s Young Artist Jazz Series should have been videotaped for future use. One of those uses would be the opportunity for more jazz fans to hear and see these remarkable young musicians in action. An equally important use would be to screen it for the far too many professional artists who seem to have forgotten the individual excitement, the spirited coming together and the sheer joy of making music.

Clayton, a pianist, is still in his final year at the L.A. County High School for the Arts; bassist Miles Mosley and drummer Kevin Kanner are a few years older. But individually and collectively, their performance was at a stunningly high professional level--enhanced by the enthusiastic feeling of exhilaration in everything they played. No wonder the packed-house crowd gave the trio a standing ovation, demanding and receiving a spirited encore.

There wasn’t a dull moment in a set that lasted well beyond an hour, encompassing a collection of tunes ranging from “The Frim Fram Sauce” and “Jada” to “Yours Is My Heart Alone” and “Emily.” Enhancing this offbeat group of numbers, Clayton added his own tender ballad, “Tears,” and Mosley’s highly whimsical “Pell City Slouch.” Although Clayton noted, after the set, that the trio members have been too busy individually to perform together on a regular basis, there were no flaws in their ensemble interaction, which functioned with unerringly smooth fluidity.

Individually, potential star power was flashing everywhere. Clayton’s interpretive range comfortably embraced bebop, stride and swing, enhanced by the sort of dramatic shifts of dynamics associated with Ahmad Jamal and the groove-driven rhythms of Gene Harris. Mosley was a technical wizard, enhancing his virtuosity with a buoyant sense of swing and a witty sense of humor. And Kanner’s drum work was a model of musicality, balancing urgent rhythmic energy with a subtle control of his percussive textures.

The performance offered a telling glimpse of the quality present among the Southland’s younger, still-undiscovered artists. The Young Artist Jazz Series will continue to showcase similar talent once a month at Catalina’s, with the Agoura High School Jazz Band, conducted by John Mosley, scheduled next, on April 29.