Jay Clayton (musician)

Jay Clayton (born October 28, 1941, in Youngstown, Ohio, as Judith Colantone) is an avant-garde vocalist and jazz educator.

After studying at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she moved to New York City and took lessons from saxophonist Steve Lacy. She and her husband, drummer Frank Clayton, were part of the loft jazz scene and presented a concert series, Jazz at the Loft, in 1967. Musicians who participated include Junie Booth, Joanne Brackeen, Hal Galper, Jane Getz, John Gilmore, Jeanne Lee, Dave Liebman, Cecil McBee, Bob Moses, Sam Rivers, and Pete Yellin.

Clayton's pioneering vocal explorations placed her at the forefront of the free jazz movement and loft scene in the 1970s, where she counted among the first singers to incorporate poetry and electronics into her improvisations. She performed and recorded with Muhal Richard Abrams, with John Fischer's Interface, and Byron Morris's Unity. For a long time she was a member of the Steve Reich ensemble, performing the compositions of the minimalist composer. She was one of the first singers to record composer John Cage’s vocal music.

Clayton's own performance dates appear under the heading the Jay Clayton Project, while she titles her work with other esteemed vocalists Different Voices. She co-leads a trio, Outskirts, with drummer Jerry Granelli and saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom.

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