First Listen: Big Space live at the Levee
Free jazz can be "messy or magical," says guitarist Grant King
No two Big Space performances are alike, according to the jazz-rock band's guitarist, Grant King.
King, along with Ashley Chalmers on drums and Ian Murphy on bass, plays free jazz — which relies heavily on improvisation.
"It's kind of high risk, because it could be messy, or it could be magical," said King.
King explained that most jazz musicians improvise on an existing melody and its underlying chord structures. But in free jazz, musicians start with a beginning melody, then they simply take the music where it goes.
Big Space's album, Live at the Levee, captures the musicians in one of their favourite free jazz performances.
Have a listen to Grant King of Big Space talk with Heather Barrett on Weekend AM.
Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us wam@cbc.ca and tell us about it.
You can hear First Listen Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.