Blair
Latham
Jazz
Saxophone
Bass Clarinet
& More
Other projects you should know
Where Blair has been invited to add the sounds he makes to the vision of another
The Rick Cranson Quartet
For many years during the Wellington Jazz Festival the venue Rogue & Vagabond played (and will play) host to a series of nights celebrating past important recordings. Rick invited Blair to participate in a rendition of the great Coltrane album Crescent, and as luck would have it the lovely Chris Buckland (saxophonist and music organiser for the Rogue) recorded the gig and then proceeded to apply the utmost skill to mixing and mastering the resulting sounds. Blair is on the one hand mortified to be caught out trying to reinterpret one of his heroes, and on the other very proud to have been part of a great band making
great jazz.
Rick Cranson ~ Drums
James Illingworth ~ Piano
Tom Callwood ~ Acoustic bass
Tawhiri Funk
Originally asked to fill in for the saxophonist Lorenzo Pradel when the band was just trombone, two saxes and drums, Blair eventually joined as a permanent member, making it perhaps the only band in the world that has two Blairs stationed on saxophone. Run by the trombonist/bassist/dj Gareth Thompson Darling the group has played all around town, undertaken the awesome top of the South Island venue tour and helped set up the mood at the World of Wearable Arts show. It's music is old school funk classics reimagined sprinkled with originals.
Gareth Thompson Darling ~ Trombone
Blair Clarke ~ Tenor Sax
Thomas Friggens ~ Drums
Ayrton Foote ~ Keyboard
Chris CK ~ Vocals
Aakneson/Norman Meehan
Blair was asked to take over from the renowned NZ horn player Colin Hemmingson in a group that set a variety of poems to the music of Norman Meehan and Hannah Griffin. This involved gigs in Wellington, Chamber Music NZ tours and eventually this large enemble recording. The music and live performances often explored space, independance, intimacy, and the meaning of words as related to sounds and intimacy in a way that is always fun to play.
Norman Meehan ~ Piano/Compositions
Hannah Griffin ~ Voice/Compositions
Andrew Laking ~ Acoustic Bass
Lance Philip ~ Drums
Bill Manhire ~ Words
Fertility Festival
This band was a blast for Blair. Cathartic and overwhelming, brutal and beautiful, music that appeared easy but could almost blow out a lung, it surprisingly had everything. Check it out.
William John Hooker - cigarbox guitar
Warwick 'Top Shelf' Donald - drums
Isaac 'Fat Bottom' Smith - tuba
Gerard 'Basketcase' Crewdson - tuba
Blair 'Cachete' Latham - tenor saxophone
Julian 'The Honk' Taylor - alto saxophone
Nigel Patterson Quartet
Run by the local keyboard legend Nigel Patterson, this band features all original music developed when Lucien Johnson was on tenor saxophone. Blair stepped into those big shoes (literally) a number of years ago, and has been enjoying adapting his sound to Nigel's singular and lovely vision.
Nigel Patterson ~ Piano/Compositions/Arrangements
Tom Callwood ~ Acoustic Bass
Peter Elliot ~ Drums
BB Mamut
Blair was often visiting his daughter on the Caribbean island of Cozumel where she lived for a number of years. The ferry to there leaves the mainland from a tourist town called Playa del Carmen. Through a bit of luck and word of mouth Blair eventually met and played with some of the best musicians not just of this small idyllic beach town but all of Mexico. Although not really a permanent member of this particular group Blair often sat in, and was lucky enough be a part of one of their early recordings. The music fuses original compositions, improv, free improv, jazz and more.
Bernardo Ron ~ Guitar
Zoar Miranda ~ Drums
C.L.Bob
Wellington is a small, centralised town that punches above it's weight culturally, and perhaps part of what makes it that way is it's large population of people who make it home for a couple of years, or decades, and then head home or overseas. C.L.Bob's horn players in 2003 were in this state of flux, and invited Blair to help fill in. During his longer than expected tenure in the band Blair came to love the all original music that was played, along with the various projects (such as musicalising the amazing videos of Len Lye) where those pieces were featured. The original members spent many a summer touring the South Island developing a sound, and that sound became something unique with a quiet strength and joy running through it.