John Clayton

Johnny Clayton came through the door of the Venice Public Library, sometimes with his siblings with him.  It was the sixties,  the family lived a few doors to the East.   Mother worked at the Post Office & the children needed a place of be  ...  the Father gone elsewhere.   Soon Johnny asked if there might be a job he might fill;   and luckily we had one,  shelving books. 

It wasn't long there after that he asked if we might like to have his band play in the Library (we had started some performances and such) and we said "yes."   The quartet was composed of Johnny and his fellow students and they were quite good.  Then he and I did a project to build a collection of LPs to play in the Library and circulate.

I went on to Buffalo, N.Y. to teach library school and Johnny won a full scholarship to Indiana University in music.  Later I heard that he had played an extremely difficult bass concerto to complete his degree there,  and later on I heard from him on the phone in Minneapolis;   he was playing with Count Basie and could I come that evening and hear them?

Now I am honored to count John Clayton among my friends,  treasure his recordings and still know his family.  We have kept in touch,  and I was so pleased when he came to the Los Angeles Airport to pick me up during a visit to Venice and its' environs a few years ago.  I want to ask that you get to know John and his music too,  first by going to his website at John Clayton Jazz.com and then to You Tube to hear both his small group and orchestra.  Specifically I would like you to hear his rendition of the great Stevie Wonder tune, "You won't go  when I go,'  and know that this song is deeply embedded in my "Last Exit"/impermanence   recordings put together by another friend,  David Motzenbecker.