Clayton Cameron
Lecturer - Percussion, Director of Jazz Combo

Continuing Lecturer

Director, Jazz Combo

Clayton Cameron is known as a dynamic drummer who has also experimented with and perfected the art of brush technique. Cameron has toured with Sammy Davis Jr. and Tony Bennett, as well as other legends of the jazz world including George Shearing, Joe Pass, and Joe Williams. During Cameron’s time with Tony Bennett the group performed with many great artists including Frank Sinatra, Billie Joel, Sting, Mariah Carey, Brandy, the Back Street Boys, James Taylor, K.D. Lang, Elvis Costello, and Ricky Martin.

In 1990, after the release of his video, The Living Art of Brushes, Clayton was given the honorary title “Brush Master.”

Born in Los Angeles, California, Cameron received a degree in music from California State University at Northridge. During college, he played in clubs around L.A behind artists such as O.C Smith, Ernie Andrews, Jimmy Weatherspoon, instrumentalist Teddy Edwards, Larry Gails (of Thelonious Monk fame) and Gerald Wilson. After graduating from college, Clayton moved to Las Vegas to perform nightly with a jazz group called the Kirk Stuart trio. While in Las Vegas Cameron experimented with brush techniques. It was during this time that some of the rough ideas for his future videos and books were developed.

In addition to his video, Cameron has created a ground-breaking book on the elusive art of brush playing, entitled Brushworks. You can hear his masterful work on his 2012 CD Here’s to the Messengers: A Tribute to Art Blakey.

B.M., Music, Cal State University, Northridge.

Arturo O’Farrill
Director, UCLA Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra; Professor
Steven Loza
Professor - Global Jazz Studies, Ethnomusicology, Director of the UCLA Center for Latino Arts
Cheryl L. Keyes
Professor - Global Jazz Studies and Ethnomusicology (Contemporary Jazz, Hip Hop)
Kat De Nicola
Assistant to the Chair - Department of Musicology and Global Jazz Studies Program
Salim Washington
Professor and Chair of Global Jazz Studies
Roberto Miranda
Adjunct Assoc. Professor
Daniel Rosenboom
Lecturer - Trumpet Performance
Alison Deane
Associate Adjunct Professor
Hitomi Oba
Lecturer and Director of Contemporary Jazz Ensemble
Ruth Price
Adjunct Assoc. Professor
Tamir Hendelman
Lecturer - Keyboards (Jazz Keyboard Harmony, Jazz Improvisation and Analysis)
Charley Harrison
Lecturer, Director of UCLA Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Combo

Explore Other Degrees

Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
Ethnomusicology
The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work
Global Jazz Studies
Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies
Music Composition
Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media
Music Education
Preparation for music educators leading to a BA and teaching credential in just four years
Music Industry
A leadership-focused professional degree which prepares students to transform the creative, entrepreneurial, and executive structures of the music industry
Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music