Pianist and composer Gerald Clayton has been on the road in recent weeks, touring behind his accomplished new album, Tributary Tales. Tonight he begins a weeklong engagement at the Village Vanguard, with a trio. He led a slightly bigger crew when he played WBGO's Yamaha Salon Concert Series, at which this new video — for a moseying, Monkish ballad called "Wakeful" — was filmed.
The band in this clip consists of tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Eric Harland. Their treatment of the song is meticulous but easeful, even during the solos: Note how deliberately Ross paces his, letting a stray dissonance ring as he moves from one phrase to the next. The centerpiece is a solo by Clayton himself, who works with his usual silvery precision.
Tributary Tales is available from Motéma Records. Clayton performs through Sunday at the Village Vanguard, with bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Kendrick Scott.
