The Covid Enforced Rethink
Blair Latham - Composition/ Saxophone, Jake Baxendale - Saxophone, Oscar Laven - Saxophone, Isaac Smith - Photos/Video.
Level 4:
- full isolation
- Only form of interaction is digital
- The fulfilment of individualism?
- life totally separate but w/ digital interaction, 'connected' but not (sending and receiving audio, remote recording, making a 'product')
Level 3:
- pretty damn close to this (above)
Level 2:
- more physical interaction, but still heavily controlled
- chance for real sound waves spontaneously generated to hit real eardrums
But still!!!
Not the same
Level 1/0:
- day to day the same way as normal
- play for people, but those 'in the know' really. Limited chance for unknowing ears to hear
- Society somewhat segmented
Level -2, and Level -4:
Music/Sounds unexpectedly everywhere AND without an ulterior motive (money, advertising)
- Beautiful unusual sounds (bcl/sax) in unexpected places
- lounge band? (in a lounge)
So what do you want to contribute?
Idea 1:
- Unexpected performances popping and quickly going, in places not super frequented, with no ulterior motive except to introduce sounds into an environment.
Idea 2:
- Actual lounge band (knock on doors and play a quick set in a lounge).......too invasive and impractical?
Actuality:
- Sax trio playing 10 to 15min, music designed for outdoors in unusual places - Terrace Gardens, Top of Aro St, Brooklyn Park, Otari-Wilton Bush, Newlands
Reality!
First things first, last things last. Write a piece that will blend with outdoor sounds and spaces. Make it relatively easy to remember, flexible in it's performance (each time can be quite different), but interesting musically. Then arrange a couple of similarly easy to remember pieces from our repertoire to go with it. Rehearse. A lot. Find a day that works for the trio and document it. Choose 3 places (Central Park, Terrace Gardens and Truby King Park).
Do it.
Nice!!
Again?
Blair Latham is a saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Wellington, with a deep love of the bass clarinet. Blair began his career at a time when contemporaries such as Jeff Henderson were taking the local music scene to new heights.
Heading overseas, he cut his teeth playing on cruise ships before eventually landing in Mexico, which became his spiritual second home. He established himself as an essential member of the creative music scene in Mexico City, including touring with a jazz band through Zeta controlled territory in the north, and playing free jazz with his group Rolling Eye to inmates at a boy's prison in Mexico City.
Now back in New Zealand you'll find Blair performing in the Dancing and Drinking Society, El Barrio, Tawhiri Funk, or as part of composer collective the Arthur Street Loft Orchestra.
