Clayton is a bassist who has dedicated himself wholly to the pursuit of improvisation, studying with master bassists Wilber Morris and Henry Grimes in New York and Peter Kowald in Germany. He has performed around the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand with three generations of improvisers - including Alexander Von Schlippenbach, Hamid Drake, Axel Dorner, Sonny Simmons, Marilyn Crispell, Jon Rose, Jim Denley, Tony Buck and Makigami Koichi. His use of extended techniques and extreme physicality bring a new voice to the double bass, giving this music unexpected turns and twists. He is also the founder of the NOW now festival of improvised music and the leader of the 30 piece electro-acoustic ensemble The Splinter Orchestra.