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Esperanza Spalding's improvised experiment: recording a new album live on Facebook

The acclaimed jazz musician is taking the creative process of recording her new album straight to social media.
Grammy-winning jazz musician Esperanza Spalding is creating her new album in three days from scratch on Facebook. (Carmen Daneshmandi)

Esperanza Spalding wants to create music spontaneously, without the trappings of "what is going to sell" or self-doubt like "is this good enough?" For her next album, Exposure, the acclaimed jazz bassist/vocalist will walk into the studio with nothing prepared, and over three days she will create, compose, write, record, produce and finish an album in front of a live audience on Facebook.

It all begins today (Sept. 12) at 9 a.m.

Tom Power speaks with Spalding about why she's putting herself through such an intense process and why she feels it'll help her focus on what matters most: making great music.

Watch Spalding's Facebook page so you can monitor the progress of the project.

— Produced by Jean Kim