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Kelly Craig
My ears are open.
About Me
The antidote for the light-footed and tepid reception of chamber Jazz, over the past 10 years
the Kelly Craig Sextet has proven to be a prolific Jazz machine.
The conception the Sextet was not so much an act of want as need. Baking their own Jazz with
verve was the only choice for these active musicians.
The Kelly Craig Sextet is a classic collection of sax, trumpet, drums, piano and bass, a rich
Jazz monster. Made up of players oozing a restless need to find improvisational vehicles, the
Sextet’s enthusiasm is infectious. The Sextet’s ability to produce original material with polish
and ease allows movement throughout the Jazz spectrum.
My Jazz Story
I love jazz because, it caught my ear as a very young child, despite my parents not playing
it at home.
I was first exposed to jazz, when my mother brought home the recording "Oscar Peterson
Jams '77" Check out the line up on this clip, I thought Dizzy was the first soloist because I
had never heard of Clark Terry at the age of 8yrs (1979)
http://youtu.be/cqm75WmhmfE
Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry (tp),
Eddie Lockjaw Davis (ts),
Oscar Peterson (p),
Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b),
Bobby Durham (d)
The best show I ever attended is hard to put my finger on, Miles Davis 1992 was
memorable. Earth Wind and Fire and Jamiroquai was also a good one.
The first jazz record I bought was, Bitches Brew, too early to appreciate it, I thought it
would sound like Count Basie... Hey I was 9.
My advice to new listeners, listen to things that are uncomfortable to listen to all the way
through, then come back to them later. The first time I heard Bitches Brew it sound way out
there.
The cliche of the the strung out Jazz musician as a tortured soul has done more damage
than good. Even the strung out guys agreed with this.
Support your local scene by going out to live performances regularly especially during
festival time, and try to find something nice to say about them.
When possible talk about music rather than musicians.
To any musicians reading this, Learn the language of the masters, eventually your own
voice may emerge, you need to know where you are departing from. Also let your ideas
mature and brew, they are probably better than you think.
