Spafford Releases Improvised Studio Recording

Today, Arizona jam quartet Spafford has surprised fans by issuing a new studio album. However, Abaculus is not a normal studio album filled with the band’s originals. Instead, the group released an hour-long cut that was entirely improvised on the hottest day of the summer at The Pound in Phoenix, Arizona.

The foursome assembled at The Pound after taking a day to themselves following what they describe as “several uninspired rehearsals.” Spafford decided to turn the rehearsal into a jam session and pulled off a “Nose Goes” improvisational exercise in which guitarist Brian Moss started with a simple phrase/melody and the other three members listened to find their parts. No verbal or visual communication was allowed. An hour later, the improvisational came to a natural end at which point the band realized they had just performed something special.

Bassist Jordan Fairless mixed and mastered a recording of the hour-long jam that Spafford has released today. Abaculus is available digitially via Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music.

Listen to Spafford’s Abaculus: An Improvisational Experience: