If you thought Jazz was just a bunch of guys playing instruments at different times then hit yourself hard on the head (and again) and listen to Esperanza Spalding.
23-year-old Esperanza Spalding is a bassist, vocalist and composer blessed with a smooth multi-lingual voice, a kinky afro and a natural beauty that borders on the hypnotic.
“esperanza” is the Spanish word for hope and she might well be the hope for the future of jazz and instrumental music.
“She is an irresistible performer,” says The Seattle Times. “She sings and plays bass at the same time and does a sort of interpretive dance as she plays…Her analysis of what’s going on in jazz today is perceptive.” Irresistible. Anyone who saw Esperanza when she was here in Stockholm earlier in the year is sure to agree.
Esperanza was raised by her mother and it was her who signed Esperanza up for music classes early; Esperanza played the violin, oboe, and clarinet before picking up the bass in high school. After becoming "bored musically" with the Violin Esperanza switched to the double bass and immediately began improvising on it. Esperanza completed her bachelor's degree and almost immediately after graduation was hired by Berklee College of Music, becoming one of the youngest professors in the institution's history.
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Since then Esperanza has moved to the East Coast and has worked with several notable artists, including pianist Michel Camilo, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Pat Metheny, singer Patti Austin and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano. “Working with Joe was terrifying,” she recalls, “but he’s a really generous person. I don’t know if I was ready for the gig or not, but he had a lot of faith in me. It was an amazing learning experience.”
After a series of tours, Spalding released her first album, Junjo, in 2006 and her second, Esperanza, in 2008.
The album ‘Esperanza’, is the first opportunity for a worldwide audience to witness her mesmerizing talents as an instrumentalist, vocalist and composer, but it’s just the start of what she hopes to achieve in a career where the creative opportunities are almost limitless.
For more information on Esperanza Spalding click here
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