Dizzy Gillespie didn’t hand his name to just anyone. Karl Latham played in the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars. Then he played in the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience alongside Paquito D’Rivera. Two different bands carrying one legend’s name, and Karl had a chair in both.

We recorded this conversation back in February 2022. It’s been sitting on the Broadway Drumming 101 YouTube channel for a while. Now the audio is finally out everywhere you listen — Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your shows. A lot has changed for Karl since we sat down, including new Broadway credits that weren’t on his resume yet when we hit record.

Karl’s career doesn’t sit in one lane. He’s played with Claudio Roditi, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Jon Faddis, and Cyrus Chestnut. He’s logged time with Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter. He was music director for The Shirelles. He’s worked with Mark Egan’s UNIT1, the Bernie Worrell Orchestra, and a long list of players most drummers only get to study, not stand next to.

His Broadway sub list reads the same way. Hamilton. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Ain’t Too Proud. Bring It On. Two Strangers. Five different shows, five different chairs, all earned the same way every sub gig gets earned: somebody trusted him enough to make the call.

Karl leads his own projects too. He co-leads Big Fun(k) with Don Braden. He co-led Constellations, the group that picked up a nomination for the 2016 BMW Welt Jazz Award. As a leader, he’s released Dancing Spirits, Resonance, and two volumes of Living Standards — the second one bringing in Wolfgang Lackerschmid, Mark Egan, Henry Hey, Mitch Stein, and Roger Squitero.

And he never stopped teaching. Karl is the current Co-Chair of the Percussive Arts Society Education Committee. He’s adjunct faculty at four schools: Drew University, County College of Morris, Raritan Valley Community College, and Blair Academy. Touring, recording, subbing on Broadway, and teaching at four schools. Most people pick one career. Karl runs four in parallel.

Karl is an endorsing artist for Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, ProMark Drumsticks, Evans Drumheads, Big Fat Snare, AEA Microphones, Radial Engineering, Heil Sound, ProLogix Percussion, and RME.

Press play. And if this episode gives you something, leave us a five-star review wherever you listen. It takes thirty seconds and it means a lot to the show.

If you’re serious about your own path in this industry, pick up Broadway Bound and Beyond at broadwayboundbook.com. Signed copies at signaturebrandworks.com.

Clayton Craddock is the drummer for Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre. He is also the founder of Broadway Drumming 101 and the author of Broadway Bound and Beyond: A Musician’s Guide to Building a Theater Career.

His Broadway credits include Memphis, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Ain’t Too Proud, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball, with additional credits spanning tick, tick…BOOM!, The Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical, and subbing on Rent, Motown, Evita, Avenue Q, and the Hadestown tour.

Clayton has appeared on The View, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, and the Tony Awards. He has performed with artists ranging from Chuck Berry and Ben E. King to Kristin Chenoweth and Norm Lewis.

www.claytoncraddock.com