She's a Grammy-winner and she has lots of prestige. But I can't help thinking of her as the jazz singer with the big hair. Her large afro looks
awesome!
Esperanza Spalding, a Pacific NW native who studied at Berklee College of Music, launched her career by working as a bass player and vocalist.
Next came a couple of solo albums; the third was a hit! It was called
Chamber Music Society (2010). She received a Grammy-- the first time a
jazz artist has won in the Best New Artist category.
Here is a song (written by Tom Jobin) from that winning album (in English and Portuguese); it is a duet, and Esperanza sings and plays bass while Gretchen Parlato sings and does hand percussion. I like this video-- the b&w film has great visual appeal, and this is the actual recording that was used in the album-- taken in one try (now that's either a gift or a miracle!). https://vimeo.com/19834336
If you'd like to learn more about how this album was made, here's another video link-- this one tells about all the musicians who took part, as well as Esperanza's inspiration for creating a "chamber music" jazz album. https://vimeo.com/12205114
I don't usually put in links for three different videos in one post, but I just couldn't leave out one more-- it is my very favorite! It shows an impromptu performance with Bobby Ferrin-- It's amazing to me that they didn't have this composed and worked out ahead of time.
http://www.grammy.com/videos/53rd-annual-grammy-awards-pre-telecast-bobby-mcferrin-and-esperanza-spalding-impromptu-perfor
One more thing-- "Esperanza" means "hope" in Spanish. And indeed, her story is one of hope realized, and after many years of artistic training and diligent work she is living her personal dream of a musical life.
awesome!
Esperanza Spalding, a Pacific NW native who studied at Berklee College of Music, launched her career by working as a bass player and vocalist.
Next came a couple of solo albums; the third was a hit! It was called
Chamber Music Society (2010). She received a Grammy-- the first time a
jazz artist has won in the Best New Artist category.
Here is a song (written by Tom Jobin) from that winning album (in English and Portuguese); it is a duet, and Esperanza sings and plays bass while Gretchen Parlato sings and does hand percussion. I like this video-- the b&w film has great visual appeal, and this is the actual recording that was used in the album-- taken in one try (now that's either a gift or a miracle!). https://vimeo.com/19834336
If you'd like to learn more about how this album was made, here's another video link-- this one tells about all the musicians who took part, as well as Esperanza's inspiration for creating a "chamber music" jazz album. https://vimeo.com/12205114
I don't usually put in links for three different videos in one post, but I just couldn't leave out one more-- it is my very favorite! It shows an impromptu performance with Bobby Ferrin-- It's amazing to me that they didn't have this composed and worked out ahead of time.
http://www.grammy.com/videos/53rd-annual-grammy-awards-pre-telecast-bobby-mcferrin-and-esperanza-spalding-impromptu-perfor
One more thing-- "Esperanza" means "hope" in Spanish. And indeed, her story is one of hope realized, and after many years of artistic training and diligent work she is living her personal dream of a musical life.
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