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Jazz Articles about Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding: Emily’s D+Evolution
by Mark F. Turner
Singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding has moved effortlessly between genres whether performing with saxophone great Wayne Shorter or releasing projects which have incorporated explorations in chamber and pop music. She's impressed fans with her beautiful vocals and expressive instrumental skills even though questions remain about her musical identity. Is she jazz, pop, or a fringe artist who won't be locked into any genre? The answer to that question has no bearing on Spalding's talent and creativity which ...
Continue ReadingOscar Penas: Music Of Departures And Returns
by Dan Bilawsky
In putting together his fourth album, guitarist Oscar Penas looked to composers he connects with, songs that speak to him, and originals that fit comfortably with the rest. That's the concept here, plain and simple, and the end result is a thirty-eight minute beauty that's alluring and completely accessible. Two different rhythm sections and three guests come and go during these eight tracks, but Penas' presence ties everything together. The first three numbers--a cheery choro featuring clarinetist ...
Continue ReadingEsperanza Spalding: Buffalo, NY, April 18, 2012
by Kelly E Schultz
Esperanza Spalding Radio Music SocietyUniversity of Buffalo Center for The Arts/ Esperanza SpauldingBuffalo, NYApril 18, 2012It's always a good day when jazz comes to Buffalo, NY. It's a great day when a Grammy Award-winning jazz artist performs for an intimate crowd at University at Buffalo's Center of the Performing Arts.Esperanza Spalding, Grammy's 2011 Best New Artist (much to the chagrin of Justin Beiber fans), kicked off her Radio Music Society tour earlier this ...
Continue ReadingEsperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society
by Mark F. Turner
If there's to be an unofficial ambassador for contemporary jazz then Esperanza Spalding could fit the bill nicely. The young bassist, singer, and composer brings a fresh exuberance marked by prodigious talent; honoring those who have paved the way, yet seeking to pursue her own path. Whether receiving the 2011 Grammy for “Best New Artist" or shining bright at the 2012 Academy Awards , in an unusual yet memorable performance, she's riding a wave of deserved recognition. ...
Continue ReadingEsperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society
by Jeff Winbush
When you've been invited to perform for the President of the United States, turned heads as the bass-playing beauty in the Academy Awards house band, toured with Prince and beat out teen dream Justin Bieber for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, you're having a very good run in the spotlight--and it could turn your head. From time-to-time an artist gets dubbed as the new saviour of jazz. Usually this title is handed out by publications with ...
Continue ReadingEsperanza Spalding: The Intimate Balance
by Esther Berlanga-Ryan
To celebrate Esperanza Spalding's Grammy award win as “Best New Artist," we're rerunning this September 2010 interview. Enjoy!Fans of classical music and jazz have argued about music for years. If Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Duke Ellington had ever met, they may have looked at each other in awe--right before debating about bars and notes and solos... and, perhaps, the music would have been flowing just as easy as words. The time when classically trained musicians looked down on ...
Continue ReadingEsperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society at Knight Theater
by Mark F. Turner
Esperanza SpaldingKnight TheaterCharlotte, North CarolinaSeptember 24, 2010Having had little exposure to Esperanza Spalding's music, some questions were answered by her visit to the Knight Theater on September 24th. Part of Charlotte's two-day Sunset Jazz Festival, it was the prodigy-turned jazz phenom's first appearance in the city. The concert dovetailed with Chamber Music Society (Heads Up International, 2010), the young singer/bassist's third release, and with more than three quarters of the 1150 seats filled, the venue ...
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