by Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com

This week we feature Canadian guitarist Greg Clayton.

Greg Clayton plays beautifully with a warm and intimate sound. He has
a lush chordal style but he burns on single lines too.

The Montreal Mirror’s “Best of Montreal: Readers Poll 2005” placed Greg
Clayton amongst the Top 10 of Montreal’s best jazz musicians category
which include such luminaries as Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones.

Online Bio:

Born in Montreal, Canada, Greg Clayton was an early starter in music
playing his first gigs at the age of 12. He continued working on and off
through high school years in various bands, playing dances,
‘battles-of-the-bands’ and in his words “Every conceivable type of gig
that a teenager can play.”

After turning 18, his musical path led him to the downtown Montreal jazz
scene. Greg says “I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of what was
the great jazz era in Montreal. I frequented the various clubs such as
Rockhead’s Paradise, The Jazztek, Hotel de Province, Congo Room and the
Black Bottom meeting and eventually playing with many of our legendary
players here in town.” “Guys such as Nelson Symonds, Charlie Biddle, Guy
Nadon, Norman Villeneuve, Paul Revere, Billy Horne, Ivan Symonds were
some of the first jazz cats that I had ever heard live. A few years
later I heard Peter Leitch with Billy Robinson and guys like Maury Kaye
and Richard Parris and that clinched the deal.”

His first jazz influences on record were Charlie Parker and Wes
Montgomery. But just as important for Greg, “the possibilty of seeing
and hearing Nelson Symonds and/or Ivan Symonds on almost any night of
the week for years was an opportunity I took full advantage of.”

Greg Clayton, teaches jazz guitar and jazz improvisation classes at
McGill University in Montreal and sites Grant Green, Jimmy Raney, Tal
Farlow, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass as his main [guitar] stylistic
influences.

Visit Greg Clayton’s website at http://www.gregclayton.com/

Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at http://www.docdosco.com, where you can find more information on the ‘What’s Hot with Jazz Guitar’ columns, audio clips of Doc’s playing, and many additional features. Doc now endorses Peerless Guitars and is featured artist on the Heritage Guitars website. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps — great for jazz (and anything else!)