Jeff Clayton Memorial New Note Award
The Los Angeles Jazz society will be announcing our 2025 Jeff Clayton Memorial New Note Award recipient shortly.
Jeff Clayton Memorial New Note Award
New Note was created by the Los Angeles Jazz Society in 2013 to support and promote the talents of young emerging jazz composers by providing commissions for new works which will be premiered at local jazz venues. This project adds another component in the organization’s mission to help preserve the future of jazz by identifying and nurturing young jazz musicians of tomorrow. LAJS Board of Trustee Max Wrightson is the Committee Chair.
Founding members of the endowment already include James & Carole Barrall, Howard & Cathy Stone; Barbara Abell, Laurie Saffian & David Strauss, Patrisha Thompson, John Clayton, Lois Saffian and Flip Manne. Anyone wishing to join the founders and help raise the Award endowment, may contact Jim Barrall at jbarrall@gmail.com
In honor of our dear friend Jeff Clayton, the LA Jazz Society and a steering committee headed up by longtime supporter Jim Barrall, who made a generous donation to establish the endowment, officially renamed our New Note Commission in honor of Jeff Clayton which is now entitled the Jeff Clayton Memorial New Note Award – a commission to support and promote the talents of emerging jazz composers by providing commissions for new works. This annual award will receive instructions to compose a new work with Jeff Clayton and his work in mind.
JEFF CLAYTON performed and toured with a litany of music greats throughout his career including Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson, Patti Labelle, and Madonna, as well as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Lena Horne. Jeff also played in the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Basie and later under the direction of Thad Jones, and was a member of the Phillip Morris Superband. He also toured with Gene Harris, Dianne Reeves, Joe Cocker, B.B. King and Ray Charles. In 1986, he and his brother, bassist John Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton formed the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. His second long-standing group with John, The Clayton Brothers Quintet, went on to receive two GRAMMY nominations.
“Jeff was passionate about this music. His love, joy, perseverance and sense of humor attracted so many to him. He had his own vision through his compositions that invited others to see that same vision. He leaves an irreplaceable void,” reflected Hamilton. John Clayton shared: “I am sad but buoyed by Jeff’s spirit, by recalling six decades of growth together, by the music we shared, and the knowledge that he wants us to move on, embracing and celebrating life.”
A selection committee, including John Clayton – Jeff’s brother, reviews possible candidates for the commission and makes a decision based on a record of achievement and recognition as a composer and/or musician. Each candidate must be known as a “rising star” among young audiences and someone who has an appreciation for the history of jazz as well as an eye to the future, providing a unique and innovative approach to music. The candidate will be asked to create this new work with Jeff Clayton’s legacy in mind. Compositions must be completed and reviewed no later than one month prior to presentation.
The Jazz Society has been pleased to partner with the annual Angel City Jazz Festival in premiering the works of its young composers.
New Note History
Compositions are premiered as part of the annual Angel City Arts Festival
2013: The first commission was awarded to pianist/composer, Richard Sears, who composed a 45- minute suite in honor of jazz drummer, Tootie Heath. The new work was presented at the Angel City Jazz Festival held at the John Anson Ford Theatre in Hollywood and received a standing ovation as well as special positive attention in a Los Angeles Times review of the event.
2014: The Society’s commission was made to award-winning pianist and composer, Cathlene Pineda, who received an M.F.A. in composition and improvisation from the California Institute of the Arts. Her 45-minute suite is based on the Los Angeles City themed poetry of Eloise Klein Healy, past Los Angeles poet laureate, and was premiered at the Music Center’s prestigious Red Cat Theatre.
2015: Alto saxophonist and composer, Josh Johnson, was awarded this year’s commission and he chose his Los Angeles based theme on the 1992 Rodney King riots. His 45-minute suite represented his personal response as an African American to the civil unrest and it relevance to issues confronting the city and country to this day.
2016: The fourth commission was awarded to drummer/composer Jose “Gurri” Gurria, who wrote a 45-minute suite entitled, Street Signs: A Love Letter to the Angel City, which was premiered at the John Anson Ford Theatre.
2017: Trombonist/pianist/composer/arranger, Jonah Levine, received the commission and composed his 45-minute suite based on the South Central Farm as documented in the 2008 film, The Garden. It was premiered at the Moss Theatre in Santa Monica.
2018: The Society awarded its commission to California Institute of art graduate, Lauren Baba; violinist, violist, composer and improviser She is the composer and the director of her 17- piece big band , the BABA orchestra. Her composition is entitled Marigold and is described by the composer as inspired by her immigrant grandparents from Syria and Greece and their successes in their restaurant, Marigold. Lauren believes this is a Los Angeles story about immigrants. The composition was premiered with Lauren’s orchestra at the John Anson Ford Theatre.
2019: Pianist, keyboardist, composer and arranger, Jacob Mann, received a commission and chose as his theme a musical portrait of the six Metro Rail Lines. The aim is to highlight how vast and diverse the city is and the different mood and neighborhoods one can experience. The work was premiered at the Angel City Jazz Festival held at the L.A. County Museum of Art.
2020: Five short compositions: Paul Cornish, Anthony Fung , Christian Euman,, Daniel Rotem, Erin Bentiage
2021: Jon Hatamiya, trombone. A 45 minute suite about his struggles during the pandemic. Premiered at the Angel City Jazz Festival.
2022: Nicole Mcabe, alto saxophone. A suite titled “The Women Who Shaped Me” consists of pieces that are inspired by different female figures that have made Nicole into the person she is today. Nicole wanted to challenge herself by arranging these original compositions for a septet featuring some of the best musicians in the L.A. jazz scene.
2023: Ennis Harris, alto saxophone. A 35 minute suite titled, “Images and Silhouettes”, blending identifiable objects and ideas and their elusive, shadowy counterparts.
2024: Yafeu Tyhimba, bass. A suite that strives to show the personal hypocrisies in his life and in the greater country. The AI character leaves earth in search of a better place and is saddened by what the world has become.
