The Kelly Craig Sextet.

The Kelly Craig Sextet was formed to satisfy a need for a deep serving of soul-influenced bop. The band has performed weekly at numerous clubs and festivals since its inception. It has always drawn from a deep talent pool, earning the group recognition and notoriety.

The 2012 arrival of Adam Daudrich to the Sextet has had a profound effect on the sound of the group. A former occasional pianist with the sextet, Adam was asked by Kelly to contribute material as a barter for recording his piano trio. The current lineup of the sextet was a result of Adam acid testing his arrangements with his trio and the addition of Patrick Lampron. Once the rhythm section was prepared Adam requested the horns travel to Montreal to rehearse and stay for the trio’s weekly Tuesday night jam at Deize Onze. Brian Asselin was not available so Patrick Lampron was asked to fill Tenor Sax chair for those sessions. What started as a practical reading band, changed the creative direction of the sextet. The styles of this rehearsal group fit the tunes so well that they all eventually became part of the full-time lineup. Since then, Daudrich’s prolific drive to compose has produced 20 Daudrich compositions for the Sextet’s repertoire. Building on the original concept, Daudrich’s work is specifically crafted to the collective tastes and strengths of the 3 horns + rhythm section. The group has solidified its vision in this format, as shown in their razor tight performances to enthusiastic audiences from jazz clubs to concert halls to festival main stages. They often take time between selections to share anecdotes that reflect the band’s sense of humour and give the performance character. Kelly has always thought that his role as bandleader was to assemble the right personnel to execute the Sextet’s vision and make comments on the music only when necessary. When asked, Kelly states: ”Adam gets me. The tunes were written with my strengths and later, the players strengths in mind. They are monsters and cool dudes to boot. The less I interfere, the better it sounds. For now, my job is to get everyone in the same room. I have some compositions that will be added to the book, and by the time we record them, all the members will have made suggestions and alterations. I love that. ”

The current line up consists of four members from Montreal and two from Ottawa.

OTTAWA Kelly Craig (Trumpet); Zakari Frantz (Alto sax)

MONTREAL Adam Daudrich (Piano); Patrick Lampron (Tenor Sax) ; Alex Bellegarde (Double Bass); Alain Bourgeois-(Drum Set)