A couple of years ago I was at the Jazz Festival here in Montreal talking to some people in the waiting area outside the concert hall where Herbie Hancock's opening band was in the process of playing. There were only a few other people around, namely a group of three sitting about twenty feet away. One of the people in my group said, "That's Diana Krall over there", nodding towards the seated group of three. I looked over and immediately recognized one of the people she was sitting with: John Clayton. I wondered for approximately ten minutes whether I should just leave them alone, but I figured, no, I had to say something. So I walked over, waited a minute and then said, "I'm sorry to interrupt…" - and at this point I could see that Diana Krall was preparing for yet another fan's declaration of love, so she was probably a bit surprised when I instead addressed John - "…but I just wanted to say how much I've gotten out of your online lessons". You'd think I'd just made John's day. He stood up, shook my hand enthusiastically and introduced me to the others. Beaming, he then asked about my bass playing and whether I was playing at the festival. He was so warm and personable, it was as if I'd run into an old friend. John was an absolute gentleman and I'll never forget that encounter.
