On Wednesday, October 21, John Clayton (bassist) conducted a jazz workshop with the Westlake Jazz Ensemble during their class period. The workshop provided a wonderful opportunity for the students to hear from two professional jazz musicians. John Clayton served as the Artistic Director of Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1999 through 2001. In addition, he is Artistic Director for the Centrum Jazz Workshop in Port Townsend, Washington and was also appointed Artistic Director for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in 2006. You can find out more about John Clayton on his website.
One of John's messages to the Jazz Ensemble was the importance of listening to music. He stressed listening to recordings as a primary source for learning music...prior to delving into the sheet music or the Real Book! Hear him play with Graham Dechter, a young guitarist in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
One of John's messages to the Jazz Ensemble was the importance of listening to music. He stressed listening to recordings as a primary source for learning music...prior to delving into the sheet music or the Real Book! Hear him play with Graham Dechter, a young guitarist in the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
Many thanks to Mr. John Parsons, director of the Westlake Jazz Program, for arranging time for Mr. Clayton's workshop at Westlake. A slideshow of John Clayton's visit with the students can be found below:
