Matthew Clayton Joins the Wayne Smith Jr. Quintet for New Album!

Matthew Clayton has teamed up with longtime friend and bandmate, drummer Wayne Smith Jr., on Wayne’s debut album Be Still, which was released on July 7th on Blue Collar Records! The album features the leader, Wayne Smith Jr., on drums, Matthew Clayton on alto saxophone, Brent White on trombone, Ian Macaulay on guitar, and Madison Rast on bass. The album showcases ten originals written by Wayne Smith Jr. Check out the song “Echoes” here. Also, read a review of the album here. The album is available on all streaming platforms, and CDs are also available. Stay tuned for performances from the Wayne Smith Jr. Quintet, and for more updates on Matthew Clayton’s live appearances!

Matthew Clayton's New Album Now Available!

Matthew Clayton’s long awaited sophomore album, Prophetic Dreams, dropped today and is available for streaming and digital download! Check it out on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, Tidal, and iHeart Radio. The album was recorded in Philadelphia, PA at Rittenhouse SoundWorks and was mastered by Anthony Tidd. Cover photo by Matthew Clayton’s future wife, Ewuraekua Nunoo-Tanikie, and cover design by Charles Eustace. Tell all of your friends, family and colleagues to check it out and to support new music!

Cover Art for New Album Prophetic Dreams

Cover Art for New Album Prophetic Dreams

Matthew Clayton Records New Album!

The year 2020 has been full of new happenings for Matthew Clayton, including the recording of his sophomore album! The album showcases brand new Matthew Clayton compositions, and introduces a new quartet featuring Clayton on alto and soprano saxophones, Adam Faulk on piano, Justin Sekelewski on bass, and Khary Shaheed on drums. The album is expected for an early 2021 release. This album documents another chapter in Clayton’s evolution, with a mixture of ballads, swing and uptempo playing that reflects his love of artists like John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Kenny Garrett and Joshua Redman. The playing of Faulk, Sekelewski and Shaheed perfectly compliments Clayton’s saxophone playing, with sparkling and thunderous accompaniment that is a welcomed twist for Matthew Clayton fans! As a follow up to 2014’s On The Move, this album was written and produced entirely by Matthew Clayton. Check back for more updates! In the meantime, follow Matthew Clayton on Spotify here. Also, Matthew Clayton has continued to collaborate with the Philadelphia Jazz Project, and is the alto saxophonist for the Mysterious Traveler All Stars concert series. The most recent Mysterious Traveler All Stars concert was this past January. Watch that concert, as well as one from 2019, here.

Matthew Clayton Pays Tribute to Trumpeter Roy Hargrove

In 2018, Matthew Clayton had a busy schedule of performing and teaching, including lecturing at both the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University, gigging at World Café Live in Philadelphia and the Free Library of Philadelphia, and a gig in New York City in conjunction with the Columbia University Center for Jazz Studies.  In 2019, Matthew has already collaborated with former Ornette Coleman drummer G. Calvin Weston at the Rotunda in West Philadelphia.  Another aspect of Matthew’s artistry is his love of prose writing; Matthew recently wrote a piece about late jazz trumpet master Roy Hargrove in the blog Musiqology, a blog by fellow University of Pennsylvania professor Guthrie Ramsey.  Read Matthew’s article here.  Matthew continues to make his mark as a musician and educator.  Check back for more exciting updates!   

Matthew Clayton Gigs in Philly in the Summer of 2017!

Matthew Clayton had a busy summer of 2017, capped off by two major performances.  In June, Matthew had the honor of playing with one of the most important jazz bassists of the last 35 years, Lonnie Plaxico, at South Jazz Parlor, as a member of Dr. Guy's Musiqology.   Mr. Plaxico has shared the stage with some of Matthew's biggest influences, including Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, and Branford Marsalis.   Matthew had the chance to hang with Lonnie and learn from his musical and personal wisdom.  In July, the Matthew Clayton Quartet was back in action for the 11th Annual Lancaster Avenue Jazz Festival in West Philly.   The festival featured the newest iteration of the Matthew Clayton Quartet, with Matthew on saxophone, Adam Faulk on piano, Nimrod Speaks on bass, and Doug Hirlinger on drums.   The Quartet played "A Shade of Jade" by Joe Henderson, followed by a selection of Matthew Clayton originals.  For more information, and pictures from the festival, see the festival website here.  Stay tuned for more updates about Matthew Clayton and his many performances!

The Philadelphia Jazz Project Releases Matthew Clayton Mixtape!

The Philadelphia Jazz Project collaborated with Matthew Clayton to release The First Traveler, a mixtape featuring a live performance of the Matthew Clayton Trio!  The music features Matthew Clayton on alto saxophone, Justin Sekelewski on bass, and Khary Shaheed on drums, and includes a previously unreleased original composition by Matthew Clayton: "Matthew's Groove"!  After the music, there is a candid interview with Matthew Clayton about his music, vision, and influences.  This project has been released as a free download!   To get The First Traveler, visit the Philadelphia Jazz Project here.

Matthew Clayton in Philadelphia, New York, and Beyond!

Since the CD Release Party in March of 2015, Matthew Clayton has been busy performing and spreading the word about his album and music!  Starting in the summer of 2015, Matthew could be heard sitting in at New York City jazz clubs: Smalls, Zinc Bar, and Smoke.  In the fall of 2015, Matthew returned to Philadelphia with performances at the Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the jazz restaurant Heritage, and many other Philadelphia area venues.   In 2016, Matthew performed at South Jazz Parlor in Philadelphia, the Blue Note in New York City, led his Quartet once again at the Community Education Center on Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia, and returned to his alma mater, Yale University, for an end of the year performance.  Most recently, Matthew kicked off 2017 with a performance with the Matthew Clayton Quartet in Philadelphia as a part of the Jazz Bridge concert series.  Matthew is poised to launch another exciting phase of his musical career.  Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming performances!  

CD Release Party in Philadelphia 3.13.15!

Join the Matthew Clayton Quartet, featuring the leader on alto saxophone, Neil Podgurski on piano, Nimrod Speaks on bass, and Khary Shaheed on drums, for the On The Move CD release party at the Community Education Center, 3500 Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, March 13th at 7pm!  Admission is $15.  Presented by the Producer's Guild for the 2nd Fridays on Lancaster Ave Jazz Series.