Martin Taylor and the Gerald Clayton Trio take the stage at MCG for one show only on Friday, October 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. Kicking off a fall U.S. Tour, Martin Taylor is back at MCG with his award-winning, inimitable jazz guitar style. Hot off the announcement that his first album will be released on Artist Share in January 2009, pianist Gerald Clayton makes his MCG Jazz debut. Over the last year Clayton has performed all around the world, exposing people from the United States to Japan to his live and expressive voicings on the piano.

Martin Taylor has established a unique musical career as an internationally acclaimed musician; he is recognized as the world’s foremost exponent of solo jazz guitar playing. Although completely self taught, Taylor has enjoyed a remarkable musical career spanning across four decades, and during that time has invented and developed a way of playing the guitar that is admired, and often imitated, by guitarists all over the world. As well as being a true guitar innovator, he is also a master concert performer, dazzling audiences with his solo shows, which combine virtuosity, emotion and humor with a strong stage presence. Taylor spends much of the year traveling and playing in concert halls all over the world. From 1979 to 1990 he toured the world and recorded over 20 albums with the French jazz violin legend Stephane Grappelli. Their album Together At Last won a GRAMMY® nomination in 1987. In 2007, Taylor received the prestigious BBC Radio 2 “Heart of Jazz” Award in recognition of his career in music, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North Wales Jazz Guitar Festival for his “Contribution to Jazz Guitar Worldwide” and was voted Best Guitarist in the British Jazz Awards for a record 11th time. When not touring he divides his time between his homes in France and Scotland where he writes music for TV and film. His autobiography “Martin Taylor–Autobiography of a Travelling Musician” and his latest CD/DVD Freternity are available worldwide.

Despite his young age, Gerald Clayton has received many prestigious awards and performed with legendary jazz musicians throughout the world. Clayton grew up in a musical family (his father is bassist/composer John Clayton and his uncle saxophonist Jeff Clayton) and was exposed to a variety of musical styles. He studied classical piano, jazz piano and composition, and later was named the winner of the 2001 Music Center Spotlight Awards and received the ‘Outstanding Soloist’ Award during the Monterey High School Jazz Competition in 2001 and 2002. He was also selected for the GRAMMY® High School Big Band, comprised of high school students from the entire United States. In the summer of 2002, he was named Presidential Scholar in the Arts and was asked to perform at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In September of 2006, Gerald received Second Place in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Piano Competition. Clayton has performed extensively with numerous outstanding musicians in a wide variety of venues, including the Henry Mancini Orchestra, Benny Green, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Clark Terry, The Lewis Nash Quintet, Roy Hargrove, The Clayton Brothers and Diana Krall. Clayton is rounded out by two strong sidemen: Joe Sanders at the bass and Kevin Kanner on the drums.

Long-time local sponsors NOVA Chemicals, UPMC Health Plan, Bank of New York Mellon and ARAD are now joined by Baierl Cadillac in support the MCG Jazz 22nd annual concert series.

Upcoming concerts in the MCG Jazz 2008 - 2009 season include:

Toshiko Akiyoshi
November 9, 2008

The Ray Brown Tribute Band featuring Christian McBride, Benny Green and Greg Hutchinson
December 4-7, 2008

Spyro Gyra (First Show SOLD OUT)
(Featuring music from their new Christmas album)
December 13, 2008

Take 6
January 31-February 1, 2009

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet (Limited Availability)
February 15, 2009

Kurt Elling
February 27, 2009