| Esperanza Spalding |
Spalding performing at the Newport Jazz Festival on August 10, 2008 |
| Background information |
| Born |
(1984-10-18) October 18, 1984 (age 27)
Portland, Oregon, US |
| Genres |
Jazz, jazz fusion, bossa nova, neo soul |
| Occupations |
Musician, composer, educator, bandleader |
| Instruments |
Upright bass, bass guitar, and vocals |
| Years active |
2000–present[1] |
| Labels |
Heads Up International, Hush, Merge |
| Associated acts |
Stanley Clarke, Patti Austin, and Joe Lovano |
| Website |
www.esperanzaspalding.com |
Esperanza Spalding (born October 18, 1984)[2] is an American multi-instrumentalist best known as a jazz bassist and singer, who draws upon many genres in her own compositions. In 2011, she won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards,[3] making her the first jazz artist to win the award.[4][5]
Spalding grew up in the King neighborhood of Portland, Oregon,[6] a neighborhood she describes as "ghetto" and "pretty scary".[7] Her mother raised her and her brother as a single parent.[8] Spalding has a diverse ethnic background.[7][9] Her father is African-American and her mother is of Welsh, Native American, and Hispanic descent.[10] She also has an interest in the music of other cultures, including that of Brazil,[11] commenting, "With Portuguese songs, the phrasing of the melody is intrinsically linked with the language, and it's beautiful."[12]
Her mother shares Spalding's interest in music, having nearly become a touring singer herself.[8][13] But while Spalding cites her mother as a powerful influence who encouraged her musical expansion, she attributes her inspiration for pursuing a life in music to watching classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood when she was four.[8]
By the time Spalding was five, she had taught herself to play the violin and was playing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.[8] Spalding stayed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon until she was fifteen and left as concertmaster.[8] Due to a lengthy illness when she was child, Spalding spent much of her elementary school years being homeschooled,[8] but also attended King Elementary School in northeast Portland.[6] During this time, she also found the opportunity to pick up instruction in music by listening to her mother's college teacher instruct her mother in guitar.[12] According to Spalding, when she was about eight, her mother briefly studied jazz guitar in college; Spalding says, "Going with her to her class, I would sit under the piano. Then I would come home and I would be playing her stuff that her teacher had been playing."[12] Spalding also played oboe and clarinet before discovering the bass in high school.[8][14] She is able to sing in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.[15]
Spalding had begun performing live in clubs in Portland, Oregon as a teenager,[11] securing her first gig at 15 in a blues club, when she could play only one line on bass.[16] One of the seasoned musicians with which she played that first night invited her to join the band's rehearsals "so she could actually learn something", and her rehearsals soon grew into regular performances spanning almost a year.[16] According to Spalding, it was a chance for her to stretch as a musician, reaching and growing beyond her experience.[12] Her early contact with these "phenomenal resources", as she calls the musicians who played with her,[12] fostered her sense of rhythm and helped nurture her interest in her instrument.[16] She does not consider herself a musical prodigy.[17] "I am surrounded by prodigies everywhere I go, but because they are a little older than me, or not a female, or not on a major label, they are not acknowledged as such", says Spalding.[17]
Spalding had intended to play cello,[12] but discovered the bass during a one-year stint at age 14 at the prestigious performing arts high school, The Northwest Academy, to which she had won a scholarship.[16][18] The school was not a good fit, but the bass was.[16] Spalding found high school "easy—and boring" and dropped out. When she was 15 or 16 years old, Spalding started writing lyrics for music for the local indie rock/pop group Noise for Pretend, touching on any topic that came to mind.[17] Although she had taken a few private voice lessons, which taught her how to protect her voice, her primary singing experience had come from "singing in the shower", she said,[17] before she started performing vocals for Noise for Pretend.[12] Her desire to perform live evolved naturally out of the compositional process, when she would sing and play simultaneously to see how melody and voice fit together, but she acknowledges that performing both roles can be challenging.[12][19] In a 2008 interview, she said, "[W]hat can be difficult is being a singer, in the sense that you are engaged with the audience, and really responsible for emoting, and getting into the lyrics, melody, etc., and being an effective bassist/band leader".[19]
Spalding left high school at 16 and, after completing her GED, enrolled on a music scholarship in the music program at Portland State University, where she remembers being "the youngest bass player in the program".[8] Although she lacked the training of her fellow students, she feels that her teachers nevertheless recognized her talent.[8] She decided to instead apply to Berklee College of Music on the encouragement of her bass teacher, and did well enough in her audition to receive a full scholarship.[13][16] In spite of the scholarship, Spalding found it a challenge meeting living expenses, so her friends arranged a benefit concert that paid her airfare and a little extra.[12][16] Spalding's savings did not last long. Broke and exhausted,[20] she considered leaving music and entering political science,[13] a move jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny discouraged, telling Spalding she had "the 'X Factor'" and could make it if she applied herself.[13] During her time at Berklee, her primary bass instructor was John Lockwood.[citation needed]
[edit] 2004–07: Musical beginnings, teaching and Junjo
Gary Burton, Executive Vice President at Berklee, said in 2004 that Spalding had "a great time feel, she can confidently read the most complicated compositions, and she communicates her upbeat personality in everything she plays".[16] Ben Ratliff wrote in The New York Times on July 9, 2006, that Spalding's voice is "light and high, up in Blossom Dearie's pitch range, and [that] she can sing quietly, almost in a daydream" and that Spalding "invents her own feminine space, a different sound from top to bottom."[21] Spalding was the 2005 recipient of the Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship.[8] Almost immediately after graduation from college later the same year, Spalding was hired by Berklee College of Music, becoming one of the youngest instructors in the institution's history,[12] at age 20.[22] As a teacher, Spalding tries to help her students focus their practice through a practice journal, which can help them recognize their strengths and what they need to pursue.[12]
Her debut album Junjo was released on April 18, 2006, on the Ayva Music label.[23][24] It was created to display the dynamic that she felt among her trio.[17] Though Junjo was released solely under her name, Spalding considers it "a collaborative effort".[12]
[edit] 2008–10: Esperanza
When asked in 2008 why she plays the bass instead of some other instrument, Spalding said that it wasn't a choice, but the bass "had its own arc" and resonated with her.[17] Spalding says that for her discovering the bass was like "waking up one day and realizing you're in love with a co-worker."[12] By the time she randomly picked up the bass in music class and began experimenting with it, she had grown bored with her other instruments.[16][25] Her band teacher showed her a blues line for the bass that she later used to secure her first gig.[16] After that, she went in to play the bass daily and gradually fell in love.[12]
Ratliff wrote in The New York Times again, two years later, on May 26, 2008 that one of Spalding's central gifts is "a light, fizzy, optimistic drive that's in her melodic bass playing and her elastic, small-voiced singing" but that "the music is missing a crucial measure of modesty."[26] He added, "It's an attempt at bringing this crisscrossing [of Stevie Wonder and Wayne Shorter] to a new level of definition and power, but its vamps and grooves are a little obvious, and it pushes her first as a singer-songwriter, which isn't her primary strength."[26] Pat Metheny said in 2008 it was immediately obvious "that she had a lot to say and was also unlike any musician I had ever run across before. Her unique quality is something that goes beyond her pretty amazing musical skills; She has that rare 'x' factor of being able to transmit a certain personal kind of vision and energy that is all her own."[20] Andrés Quinteros wrote in the Argentinian periodical, 26Noticias on October 28, 2008 that Spalding is one of the greatest new talents on the jazz scene today.[27] Patti Austin hired Spalding to tour with her internationally after Spalding's first semester at Berklee,[16] where Spalding supported the singer on the Ella Fitzgerald tribute tour "For Ella".[12] In 2008, Spalding recalled the tour as educational, helping her learn to accompany a vocalist and also how to sustain energy and interest playing the same material nightly.[12] She continued to perform with Austin periodically for three years.[12] During the same period, while at Berklee, Spalding studied under saxophonist Joe Lovano before eventually touring with him.[12] They began as a trio, expanding into a quartet before joining quintet US5 and traveling across the United States from New York to California.[12] As of 2008, she was also in the process of developing several courses for students at Berklee, including one that focuses "on transcribing as a tool for learning harmony and theory."[12] Due to touring commitments, Spalding stopped giving classes at Berklee. She lives in New York and Austin, Texas.
Spalding performing at the Northsea Jazz Festival, 2009
Esperanza is Spalding's second studio album. Being exposed to many different cultural impressions while growing up, Spalding sings in three different languages, English, Spanish, and Portuguese.[28] After Spalding's Grammy win in February 2011, the album entered the Billboard 200 at 138. With Esperanza, Spalding's material was meant to be more reflective of herself as an artist, with musicians selected to best present that material.[17] Ed Morales wrote in PopMatters on June 23, 2008 that Esperanza is "a sprawling collage of jazz fusion, Brazilian and even a touch of hip-hop".[29] Siddhartha Mitter wrote in The Boston Globe on May 23, 2008 that "the big change" in Esperanza "is the singing..... This makes it a much more accessible album, and in some ways more conventional".[30]
On December 10, at the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, Spalding performed at Oslo City Hall in honor of the 2009 Laureate President Barack Obama and again at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert the following day. She was personally selected by Obama, as per the tradition of one laureate-invited-artist to perform.[31] Spalding also was the featured final act for the opening night of the 2009 Park City Jazz Festival in Park City, Utah, one of the top jazz festivals in the country. She closed the show with a number along with bass artists Brian Bromberg and Sean O'Bryan Smith, who also performed earlier that day.[32] As a tribute to Prince, Spalding was invited to sing along with Patti LaBelle, Alicia Keys, and Janelle Monáe. Spalding performed the 1987 hit single "If I Was Your Girlfriend".[31][33] On February 7, 2010, Spalding became the most searched person and second most searched item on Google as a result of her appearance the previous evening on the PBS television program Austin City Limits.[34][35]
[edit] 2011–present: Chamber Music Society and Radio Music Society
In February 2011, at the 53rd Grammy Awards, Spalding won the "Best New Artist" award.[36] In November 2011, Spalding won "Jazz Artist of the Year" at the Boston Music Awards.[37] Spalding collaborated with Tineke Postma on the track "Leave Me A Place Underground" from the album The Dawn Of Light in 2011.[38] She also collaborated with Terri Lyne Carrington on the album The Mosaic Project where she features on the track "Crayola".[39] Spalding sings a duet with Nicholas Payton on the track "Freesia" from the album Bitches in 2011.[40] [41] Her next project was an album titled Radio Music Society, which she hoped would showcase jazz musicians in an accessible manner suitable for mainstream radio.[36] With Radio Music Society, she hoped to incorporate her own musical compositions with covers of such artists as the Beach Boys and Wayne Shorter. She also plans to record an album with Milton Nascimento in the future.[42]
Chamber Music Society was the third album by Spalding. After her surprise Grammy win, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 34 with sales of 18,000.[43] A video was made for the song "Little Fly".[44] The song is a poem by William Blake set to music by Spalding. A vinyl version of the album was released in February 2011. This version of the album included a bonus track titled "Morning" that will be included in the tracklist of her upcoming Radio Music Society album.[45] Chamber Music Society, inspiration from her earlier days as a concertmaster is apparent in her fusion of three-piece string ensemble with piano, keyboards, drums and percussion. As Patrick Jarenwattananon wrote for NPR Music, "the finished product certainly exudes a level of sophisticated intimacy, as if best experienced with a small gathering in a quiet, wood-paneled room."[46] Spalding was the best-selling contemporary jazz artist, and her album Chamber Music Society was the best-selling contemporary jazz album, of 2011.[47]
On February 26, 2012, Spalding performed at the 84th Academy Awards, singing the Louis Armstrong standard, "What a Wonderful World", alongside the Southern California Children's Chorus to accompany the video montage that celebrated the film industry greats who passed away in 2011 and early 2012.[48] Radio Music Society is Spalding's fourth studio album, released by record label Heads Up International on March 20, 2012.[49][50][51] Spalding appeared on Later... with Jools Holland.[52]
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Spalding alternates between upright bass...
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and bass guitar in her performances
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Spalding cites jazz bassists Ron Carter and Dave Holland as important influences on her music; Carter for the "orchestration" of his playing and Holland for the way his compositional method complements his personal style.[53] She has described the saxophone player Wayne Shorter,[13] and singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, as heroes.[54] She has also noted her preference for the music of Brazil.[13]
Spalding says she loves fusion music and was influenced by a "wonderful arc that started 40 years ago where people kept incorporating modern sounds into their music."[29] She has expressed concerns that jazz has wandered from its roots, suggesting that jazz has lost its street value and its relevance to "the Black experience to the Black Diaspora and beyond" now that has been co-opted by the "seasoned 'art' community".[7] She notes that in its early days, jazz was "popular dance music" and "the music of young people who considered themselves awfully hip", and believes "hip-hop, or neo-soul [...] is our 'jazz' now as far as the role these genres play in the music genre lineage".[7] Spalding, who has expressed a desire to be judged for her musicianship rather than her sex appeal, believes that female musicians must take responsibility to avoid oversexualizing themselves.[29][13] and that in order to write original music, one must read and stay informed about the world.[13] She has said she models her career on those of Madonna and Ornette Coleman.[12]
- ^ Balkin, Nicholas (July 14, 2003). – "Jazz at the Fort: Press Release". – Berklee College of Music. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding: 10 things you didn't know". IBN. February 14, 2011. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/esperanza-spalding-10-things-you-didnt-know/143321-19.html. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Nominees and Winners". GRAMMY.com. http://www.grammy.com/NOMINEES. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ Allen, Floyd (February 14, 2011). "Spalding has made history for winning best new artist award". International Business Times. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/112385/20110215/spalding-has-made-history-in-winning-best-new-artist-award.htm. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ Esperanza Spalding has won the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist. Smooth Jazz Buzz. February 14, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ a b Bancud, Michaela (December 14, 2001). "Esperanza in the Wings". Portland Tribune. http://thevig.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=8102. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
- ^ a b c d Symister-Masterson, Cheryl K., (September 2006). – "Esperanza Spalding: It's Natural" (Archived April 14, 2009 at the Wayback Machine). – Jazz Review.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Biography". – Esperanza Spalding official website.
- ^ Ramírez, Deborah (August 14, 2008). "Touching Bass – Jazz Phenom Sings, Plays and Talks Norah Jones". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ Peña, Tomas (May 28, 2008), In Conversation With Esperanza Spalding, Jazz.com, http://www.jazz.com/features-and-interviews/2008/5/28/in-conversation-with-esperanza-spalding, retrieved 2012-02-27
- ^ a b Carpenter, Ellen (July 27, 2008). "Up to Her Ears: A Night Out with Esperanza Spalding". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Booth, Philip (May 2008). "At Only 24, Jazz Phenom Esperanza Spalding Has The Ultimate 'X-Factor'". Bass Player. Archived from the original on 2009-01-25. http://web.archive.org/web/20090125122600/http://www.bassplayer.com/article/only-24-jazz/may-08/35479. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Peña, Tomas; Spalding, Esperanza (2008-05-28). "In Conversation with Esperanza Spalding". Jazz Magazine (c/o Jazz.com). http://www.jazz.com/features-and-interviews/2008/5/28/in-conversation-with-esperanza-spalding. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Leggett, Steve. "Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p514023/biography. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Dickens, Tad (February 4, 2009). "Pop, Funk and All That Jazz". The Roanoke Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Murphy, Sarah (April 2004). – "Esperanza Spalding" (Archived June 6, 2011 at the Wayback Machine). – Berklee College of Music.
- ^ a b c d e f g Knight, Nokware (July 30, 2008). "Esperanza Spalding Interview". Nu-Soul Magazine.
- ^ De Barros, Paul (January 15, 2008). "A Hopeful Outlook for Jazz – Esperanza Spalding". The Seattle Times.
- ^ a b Billyjam (June 27, 2008). "Amoeblog Interview with Esperanza Spalding". Amoeblog.
- ^ a b Humphries, Stephen (May 30, 2008). "Jazz prodigy Esperanza Spalding, still eager to teach – and learn". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (July 9, 2006). "Suite for Gas Pump and Coffin Lid". The New York Times.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding, "Grooves"". The Early Show's "The Second Cup Café" television programme. CBS. August 23, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNw46j0nNOs&feature=related. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ Esperanza Spalding – Junjo
- ^ Junjo – Review. Allmusic.com
- ^ Norris, Michele (2008-05-15). "Esperanza Spalding: Voice of the Bass" (radio). All Things Considered (National Public Radio). http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90478162. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (May 26, 2008). "Critics' Choice; That Ladies' Man With Some New Lines". The New York Times.
- ^ Quinteros, Andrés (October 28, 2008)."Esperanza Spalding y su jazz en Buenos Aires". – 26Noticias. – (Spanish).
- ^ Esperanza Spalding
- ^ a b c Morales, Ed (June 23, 2008), "Esperanza Spalding's debut picks up where jazz fusion of the 1970s left off", Newsday (c/o PopMatters PopMatters.com), http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/esperanza-spaldings-debut-picks-up-where-jazz-fusion-of-the-1970s-left-off
- ^ Mitter, Siddhartha (May 23, 2008). – "Making a statement: Bassist Spalding adds lyrics to her many jazz talents". – The Boston Globe.
- ^ a b Chinen, Nate (February 15, 2011). "CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK; Esperanza Spalding Is a Surprise Winner at the Grammys". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/arts/music/15grammy.html?_r=1&hpw. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "Notes from PCTV: PC Jazz Fest Announces Lineup". Park City TV. May 4, 2009. http://blog.parkcity.tv/2009/05/pc-jazz-fest-announces-lineup.html. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "Patti Labelle, Janelle Monae & Esperanza Spalding Honor Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Prince with Tribute Performances at the 2010 BET Awards". GossipOnThis.com. June 28, 2010. http://gossiponthis.com/2010/06/28/patti-labelle-janelle-monae-esperanza-spalding-prince-bet-awards/. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "InsideLux: Esperanza Spalding: The trendiest artist according to Google", February 7, 2010
- ^ "Austin City Limits: Esperanza Spalding / Madeleine Peyroux (Full Episode)", Austin City Limits, PBS, February 5, 2010
- ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (February 14, 2011). "Esperanza Spalding: Who is the surprise Best New Artist?". Entertainment Weekly. http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/02/14/esperanza-spalding-best-new-artist. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
- ^ "Esperanza Spalding Wins Jazz Artist of the Year at Boston Music Awards". allaboutjazz.com. November 22, 2011. http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=90004. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ Challenge Records (March 2011). "Tineke Postma – The Dawn Of Light"
- ^ The Mosaic Project, CJA-33016-02, Concord Jazz, 2011
- ^ Bitches, IOR CD 77111-2, In+Out Records, 2011
- ^ Allmusic
- ^ Graff, Gary (March 1, 2011). – "Esperanza Spalding to Record 'Radio Music Society' Album in May". – Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2011-04-28
- ^ The Week in Music Sales: Justin Bieber Scores Second No. 1 Album
- ^ Littly Fly Music Video on Concord Records' Youtube Account
- ^ Gerson, Robbie (June 8, 2011). – "Grammy award winning artist releases breakthrough album on vinyl". – Audiophile Audition. Retrieved 2011-07-3
- ^ Jarenwattananon, Patrick (August 8, 2010). – "First Listen: Esperanza Spalding, 'Chamber Music Society'". – NPR Music. Retrieved 2011-02-16
- ^ (December 14, 2011). – "Billboard's Year Music". – EsperanzaSpalding.com. Retrieved 2012-02-27
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (February 27, 2012), The Artist and The Muppets Score Oscar Music Gold, The Film Music Society
- ^ Esperanza Spalding to Release ‘Radio Music Society’ on March 20
- ^ Esperanza Spalding to Record 'Radio Music Society' Album in May
- ^ Esperanza Spalding Releasing New Album – Radio Music Society
- ^ Esperanza on Later... with Jools Holland
- ^ Booth, Philip (December 2006). "Esperanza Spalding". Bass Player. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20110707213600/http://www.bassplayer.com/article/esperanza-spalding/dec-06/24264. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ "Chamber Music Society: The Making Of". Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk-oJGAXSjA/. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
- ^ http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/sales/sales_ur.cgi[not in citation given]
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| Name |
Spalding, Esperanza |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
Bassist, singer |
| Date of birth |
October 18, 1984 |
| Place of birth |
Portland, Oregon |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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7,785 (June 2012
