Jazz trumpet player Buck Clayton is best known for his role in the early years of the Count Basie orchestra and sensitive accompaniment to Billie Holiday on records. Clayton’s burnished, understated trumpet tone and tasteful use of cup-mute were distinctive. In later years, his style came to define the Mainstream Jazz movement.
Clayton clip A – Introduction - Bugle Blues & Rampage in G Minor.mp3
The personal musical style of Buck Clayton (1911-1991) featured a flowing and melodic approach to improvisation, a refined tone, subtle use of mutes, a great feel for the blues and fine technique. Buck’s trademark sound was more streamlined, smoother and intimate than his contemporaries.
Clayton’s peers recalled his striking good looks, grand sartorial style and memorable blue-green eyes that won him the nickname “Cat Eyes.” His sly, muted trumpet sound was an essential element of the innovative Count Basie Orchestra style in hits like “One O’clock Jump” and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside.”
Widely respected among musicians, Clayton was NOT a bravura soloist in the Louis Armstrong manner, though he reportedly showed greater passion in live performances than on records. Buck’s restrained style and melodic improvising made him a popu
