What could be better than the release of Esperanza Spalding's next LP, Exposure?
Watching her write and record it live in the studio.
The Grammy award winning singer-songwriter, jazz bassist and Harvard professor announced in July she would write and record her next album live on Facebook for fans to watch starting on Tuesday, September 12. And Spalding has made good on that promise.
Oh, and to make things even more interesting, Spalding plans to write and record the entire album of 10 songs, within a 77-hour window.
She released a statement explaining her creative vision for this album and her reason for restricting herself to such avant-garde way of recording:
"I foresee that creating before a live audience will add excitement and extra inspiration energy. Knowing someone is watching and listening to what you’re making seems to conjure up a sort of 'can’t fail' energy. The necessity to keep going because it’s live draws up another depth of creative facility that can’t be reached when you know you can try again tomorrow."
"Having such limited time to write and record 10 songs will also force us to rely on improvisation and first instinct. Not allowing us time to judge, second guess, question or alter the initial hits of inspiration that drive the creation of each song."
"That means that the audience will get a record of the most potent, charged, fresh-from-the ethers-compositional, musical and lyrical content. Of course they will be formed into songs, but they’ll carry the charge of the immediate, of the innately inspired artists co-creating in the room throughout the 3-day process.”
According to Spalding's website, once the album is complete, the artist will bless 7,777 fans with limited edition CDs of the new work that will include handwritten notes Spalding used in the creation of the album.
You buy a blank CD. Then over 3 days, I'll fill it with beautiful, spontaneously created music. #EXPOSURE
#FACEBOOKLIVE
#SEP12
pic.twitter.com/zz7H24z0xR— Esperanza Spalding (@EspeSpalding) July 26, 2017
By giving music lovers the chance to experience first-hand what it is like to be in the booth with such a prolific artist, the songstress is giving us good vibes we never knew we needed.
Follow along with Spalding and her team of musicians on this creative journey from pen and paper to treasured melody below:
