Jay Clayton: Looking Back (Reflections)

Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Jay Clayton (October 28. 1941—December 31, 2023) summoned the courage to move to New York in 1963, finding her way into the free jazz scene at a time when singers (excluding Jeanne Lee and a few outliers) were simply not within the ranks of the jazz avant-garde. Her free jazz work shows a rare combination of audacity and softness. What did she do when she first moved to town? Back home, she had listened hard to Steve Lacy and loved what he was doing, so she looked him up in the Manhattan phone book and called him cold, asking for advice on who to hear and where, among other things; audacity. Lacy subsequently became a mentor. As for softness, her vocal quality was always gentle no matter how "out" her lines, how electronically manipulated or otherwise experimental the context. Her timbre and phrasing were unaffectedly lovely and her interpretations were honestly frank. She could and did sing jazz standards with Fred Hersch and music of John Cage or Steve Reich with equal ease.

Clayton had a long and fruitful career as a singer, educator, author and composer. Her work has been received enthusiastically in jazz presses. She has won honors from National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer and Chamber Music America. She has been a beloved teacher, mentor and friend to innumerable vocalists (and others) in the US and around the world, helping them to follow what they love, find their own way and be themselves as artists.

Jay Clayton believed in being "really you" in all things. In addition to a discography of over 40 albums, she leaves us with an excellent 2023 release with fellow singer Judy Niemack, from which this track emanates. The cut reflects her unmistakable vocal quality and a philosophical stance in harmony with her own. From the review of Voices in Flight (GAM): "Accompanied empathetically by John di Martino's crystalline piano and Jay Anderson's upright bass, her genuine and moving reading of Thelonious Monk's "Reflections," with lyrics by Jon Hendricks ("Looking Back"), illuminates this attitude beautifully." Viva Jay.

Contact Katchie Cartwright on All About Jazz.
Ethnomusicologist, singer-flutist, writer, radio host (KRTU San Antonio 91.7FM).

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