At just 25, Clayton performs with the ease of a veteran Jazz musician and has worked with some of the top musicians in the field such as Roy Hargrove, Diana Krall, Hank Jones, Kenny Barron, Lewis Nash, Al Foster and The Clayton Brothers (which includes his father the bassist John Clayton and his uncle saxophonist Jeff Clayton). Showing he is one of the leaders of the new generation of young Jazz musicians, Clayton has branched out on his own to form the Gerald Clayton Trio featuring Justin Brown (drums) and Joe Sanders (bass). Proving he is a force to be reckoned with in the Jazz community, Clayton continues to challenge himself. "I have listened to lots of different musical styles as long as I can remember. I continue to absorb all these influences and in doing so create my own voice—by combining their forces into a harmonic whole…I seek to blend the various styles and sounds I love."

Two-Shade showcases 10 of Clayton's original compositions as well as his Grammy-nominated interpretation of Cole Porter's "All Of You" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma". Other stand-out tracks include the hip-hop inspired "Two Heads One Pillow", the catchy upbeat "'Scrimmage" and the contemporary sound of "Casiotone Pothole".

Of his live performances, The New York Times stated; "Gerald Clayton…came to destroy: his playing had huge, authoritative presence, an Oscar Peterson-like style, highly controlled touch and dynamics and rhapsodic, episodic soloing. (The audience broke into applause during his solo.") Recently during a 10-night residency at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, Clayton opened "before a crowd of more than 5,000 and won over that throng" according to Jazz Times. See for yourself what the buzz is about.