When Brent King was younger, it didn’t take long for him to realize that he was not suited for the “harsh living” of a professional travelling musician.
“I was with guys on the road when I was a musician and they were a couple of years older than me, maybe three or four years older than me, and they were on their second marriage, and that was shaky,” the Nanaimo-based keyboardist and composer said. “And I had never been married. I was single and I looked at that and I said, ‘Is that the future I really want?’”
That was 30 years ago. Instead of pursuing that lifestyle, King got into business and started a family. He would perform “sporadically,” but due to the time commitment and health challenges he stopped recording altogether.
That changed a couple years ago when an old friend from the Vancouver music scene, singer-songwriter Dorian Medd, got back in touch and soon suggested they collaborate.
The result of that collaboration is the album 2 B King for a Day, released last month. King said it’s his first album since the 1980s.
The album features King’s instrumental jazz compositions, played entirely on keyboard, as well as vocal tracks by producer Medd.
King said the experience has left him wanting to get back to making music. He said his next record will include more live instruments.
“I think the long-term goal maybe is to try and get a group together,” he said.
2 B King for a Day is available here.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com
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