Clark Gayton
The Best of Clark Gayton
(Ritual, Ltd.)

Clark Gayton and his trombone can do just about anything, from set you dancing to waft your prayers to Heaven. In between those extremes, they can make you feel apprehensive, nostalgic, amorous or just melt your heart. On this CD, Gayton and his musical cohorts carve a path through all those emotions on 14 tracks of groovy music. Backed up by some great New York players, notably reggae artist Dollarman on vocals, Gayton shines on trombone, trumpet, tuba, baritone horn, euphonium and even keys and percussion when the spirit moves him. The multi-instrumentalist also wrote or co-wrote and arranged most of the songs.

From the first softly ominous notes of "Ringo," it's clear that Gayton knows the power of his primary instrument and how to use it. Close your eyes and you can see the cowboy in black, riding slow. His trombone is tender and moving on the beautiful ballads, "You Taught My Heart To Sing" and "Guess Who I Saw Today." His exquisite "September in the Rain" takes you there in just a few bars. The playful charm of his own composition "Brooklyn Girls" is echoed on "Heart of Stone," where Dollarman's salacious vocal gives it a sexy twist. "The Wall" features funky keyboards by Earl Appleton and "Tap Tap" has groovy accordion courtesy of Brian Mitchell. Caribbean percussion gives most everything a gentle swing. The final track, "Just A Closer Walk With Thee," a sublime quartet of trombone, trumpet, tuba and baritone horn, is artfully arranged by Gayton, who also plays all the parts.
—Kay Cordtz