“I used to go crazy at the French Quarter Festival,” exclaims Craig Klein remembering past events when he’d play six different sets in one day. “I remember running from one to the next and thinking this is insane.”

Not to say the trombonist is slouching at this year’s festival. He’ll be leading two groups—his fine traditional ensemble heard on his recent release, Trombonisms, as well as the Euphonious Brass Band. On Friday night (April 8) he blows with the funky, trombone-laden upstarts Bonerama, then runs over to the nearby brass band stage to play with the New Orleans Nightcrawlers. (The ’Crawlers later move down river to perform at d.b.a.) Klein’s solid horn will also be heard with Ingrid Lucia plus the Storyville Stompers and Lakeview brass bands.

“I like doing everything,” says Klein while conceding that his heart remains in the traditional jazz style that marked his beginnings in music. When Klein was in the third grade, his uncle, trombonist Gerry Dallman gave him his first trombone. The trombonist became inspired by the musicians he heard at Preservation Hall and got into the street beats when his uncle later invited him to play with the Pair O’ Dice Tumblers, a precursor to the Storyville Stompers brass band.

Klein has been heard as a sideman on an impressive 60 recordings including those by pianist/vocalist Harry Connick, Jr., who he’s been with since 1990, longtime cohort, trumpeter Leroy Jones and his regular brass bands plus headliners such as Dr. John, Tori Amos and Bruce Hornsby. Last fall, the trombonist finally made his recording debut as leader with his own New Orleans classic jazz group. “I had these songs in my head,” explains Klein, who brought three new works to the project and will be performing material from the album at his Sunday afternoon Bourbon Street set. For the disc, the trombonist scored by getting trumpet legend Dave Bartholomew to play “Marie Laveau,” a tune that the trumpeter used to play with Papa Celestin’s band back in the 1940s. “That’s the tie-in,” explains Klein who first met Bartholomew at a recording session with vocalist Chuck Carbo with the two remaining friends ever since.

On Trombonisms, Klein also picks up the tuba as he does on most Sundays at the Marriott Hotel’s jazz brunch. He’s also been heard on the big horn aboard the Creole Queen and occasionally with the Stompers. “The tuba is a good complement to the trombone,” Klein explains. “When I started playing tuba, it just opened up my ears to what I really could be doing on the trombone. Plus, I get a few extra gigs playing tuba so it’s just another way to play more.”

For Klein, different settings mean different approaches to his trombone, an instrument he describes as very physical. Playing with his traditional jazz group, he has the opportunity to blow softly and lay out when other musicians solo. With Bonerama as well as within the brass band ranks, the trombonist’s job is also one of strong support, continually riffing underneath a soloist for maximum effect.

“It’s 100 times more intense,” says Klein when comparing blowing with the always full-on Bonerama and a traditional jazz unit. “Your horn is on your face a lot. If your lips—they’re muscles—aren’t built up to withstand that kind of playing you won’t make it. There have been instances when by the end of the night our lips are all puffed out and we look like somebody punched us in the mouth.”

He credits his experience in brass bands with getting his chops in shape for the endurance and power it takes to play with the raucous rock ‘n’ funk of Bonerama. “Bonerama is nothing but a brass band, anyway, with a guitar,” Craig contends.

The four brass bands that will utilize Klein’s ’bone each boasts its particular personality and style. The New Orleans Nightcrawlers relies heavily on original material contributed mainly by its talented members. “I like playing with the Nightcrawlers,” says Klein enthusiastically. “All of those musicians can really play all kinds of stuff. Every time we play together we finish and look at each other and go, ‘Wow, we need to do this more often.’”

Klein’s own brassy ensemble, the Euphonious Brass Band, was established specifically to perform as part of the Jazz Centennial Celebration’s ongoing education “informance” series. In words and music, the band tells the history of the brass band tradition from the early years to today at schools across the state. Making a rare public appearance at the fest, the Euphonious will mix traditional tunes with more modern sounds from the likes of the Dirty Dozen and the ReBirth brass bands.

The Euphonious and Nightcrawlers brass bands have more in common than simply Klein’s presence. They also share the amazing rhythm section of tuba giant Matt Perrine, snare drummer Kerry “Fatman” Hunter and bass drummer Tanio Hingle.

“Brass band drummers need to be like a team,” Klein offers. “Tanio and Fatman—it’s like Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy. They’re like Frick and Frack. They’re the fire in the hole. See, those guys, they know all the trad stuff and, of course, they know all the funk stuff. So you can go anywhere with those two.” (Hear Hingle and Hunter with the New Birth Brass Band on Saturday.)

With the Storyville Stompers, which Klein describes as a “straight-up trad band,” the trombonist enjoys the opportunity to blow on material that is often missing from the repertoires of other brass bands. Highly influenced by the Olympia Brass Band, the Stompers keep alive tunes such as “Cielito Lindo” and “Panama.” The Lakeview Brass Band shares many of the musicians and its traditional style with the Stompers.

“I have so many favorite bands to play with and I think I have them all covered at the French Quarter Festival,” Klein exclaims.

Often on tour with Harry Connick Jr.’s band, Klein will be freed up somewhat as Connick begins rehearsals for the Broadway play, The Pajama Game. He landed the leading role in the production that is scheduled to open sometime early next year.

“It’s bittersweet because we all love to be out with there with Harry, but now what it does it gives Mullins [Bonerama leader Mark Mullins] and I a chance to push Bonerama,” Klein explains.

The timing couldn’t be better. Bonerama’s thunderous new album, Live From New York, has been getting lots of radio airplay and shining reviews, including from Rolling Stone’s David Fricke. The band’s pumped-up reputation has audiences eager for future appearances from the unique, trombone-driven group.

The trombone rules in New Orleans. Just ask Craig Klein, presuming, of course, that you can catch up with the guy as he zooms from gig to gig.