Big Bands Still Thriving

Thank you for participating in our Jazz Appreciation Month Listener Poll…today we celebrate the big bands. Be sure to tune in to hear all of your favorites, including one of today’s most popular groups, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

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A lot of us know the names of the famous Big Bands of the 20^th century – Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington – the list goes on and on. These names immediately conjure up images of night clubs, band stands, big horns, full skirts and swingin’ jazz. Some people think big bands have gone the way of the phonograph, but they are sadly mistaken. Big bands are alive and well and still creating righteous jazz.

A fine example of a contemporary big band is the Clayton-Hamilton Band, started by brothers John and Jeff Clayton, bassist and saxophonist respectively, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. All three are award-winning musicians in their own right and together, along with a talented ensemble of L.A. musicians, they exemplify big band music in this new century.

Born in Indiana, Hamilton listened avidly to his parent’s big band music and began playing the drums at age 8. He got his first lucky break in 1974 when he sat in with Tommy Dorsey’s band, and later joined  Lionel Hampton and Monty Alexander.  His dream gig materialized when he joined Woody Herman and The Thundering Herd. The Clayton-Hamilton Band was started in 1985 and has been going gangbusters ever since.

John Clayton, the senior brother, started studying double bass at 16 with bass legend Ray Brown. By 19, the prodigy was a bassist with Henry Mancini’s group, The Mancini Generation.  For five years he was the principal bassist with the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra but then decided jazz was his first love and returned to America. He became artistic director at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Fest, played with the Tonight Show Band, and recorded with a host of other jazz notables. In 2007, he won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Accompanying Vocalists. He has also taught music at the University of Southern California.

Two years younger than John, Jeff Clayton is a premiere saxophonist. He studied at California State University and then toured with Stevie Wonder, followed by stints with Gladys Knight, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson and Madonna. Between them, this trio of jazz greats has have played and recorded with just everyone in the music industry, including Barbra Striesand, Patti LaBelle, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall,  Whitney Houston and Quincy Jones. The brothers won a Grammy for their release, Brother to Brother, honored as Best Jazz Instrumental Album.     

While all three band leaders have thriving solo careers, the 31-year-old band is still in high demand, booked all over the country in the coming months. And it’s not the only one. If you hear the names Lew Tabackin and Toshika Akiyoshi, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Charles Mingus, Dave Holland or Gil Evans, remember, big bands are out on the road, playing concerts, loving and preserving the big band sound, and keeping that special kind of swing alive well into the new millennium.