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Clay Perry

Justin Clay Perry (born August 20, 1974 in St Petersburg, Florida) is an American jazz, pop, and Latin pianist best know for his arrangements heard behind numerous recording artists. He is a graduate of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in Tampa Bay where he studied classical and jazz piano and composition. He obtained a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree in Jazz Composition from the University of South Florida in Tampa, a Master’s Degree (M.M.) in Studio Jazz Writing and a Doctorate of Music Degree (D.M.A.) in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami.

Perry’s doctoral essay A Comparative Analysis of Selected Piano Solos by Red Garland, Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, and Herbie Hancock from their Recordings with the Miles Davis Groups, 1955–1968 is being edited for the commercial market and will contain bios of nearly 200 jazz pianists from 1890 to 1960 during the periods known as Ragtime, Dixieland, Swing, and Bebop.

In 1998, Perry was selected Best Jazz Piano Soloist in the U. S. and Canada for Down Beat Magazine’s 21st Annual Student Music Awards.

As a youngster, Perry studied privately from numerous jazz pianists around the Tampa Bay area including Bossa Nova pioneer Manfredo Fest and Kenny Drew, Jr. He was inspired by the playing of Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea.

As a pianist, Perry has toured with the Maynard Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau band and played professionally with Ira Sullivan, Red Rodney, and Nat Adderley. But he is most known as an arranger for pop, Latin, and jazz recording artists, many of which were Grammy Award nominees and winners. He has been pianist/keyboardist, arranger, programmer and appeared on the albums of such notables as Christina Aguilera, Julio Iglesias, Michael Bolton, Gladys Knight, Beyonce, Jose Feliciano, Chayanne, Christian Castro, Cindy Morgan, Oscar de la Hoya, Jennifer Peña, Luis Fonsi, Alejandro Fernandez, Betzaida, Los Temerarios, Belinda, Pilar Montenegro, Area 305, Victoria, Daniel René, Alexandre Pires, Jaci Velasquez, Pablo Montero, Jordi, Raúl Di Blasio, Brenda K. Starr, Bruce & Lisa, Jyve V, Innis, Jack Wilkins, Chuck Owen and Jazz Surge, MDO, Frankie Negron, and under his own name, has recorded with Arturo Sandoval and Vikki Carr.