| SFJAZZ Spring Season
|
the new sensation
Esperanza Spalding
thursday, november 5, 7:30PM
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
With a beguiling blend of Brazilian melodies, Afro- Caribbean grooves, post-bop harmonies and lilting vocals, 24-year-old bassist Esperanza Spalding combines the imaginative flights of a serious improviser with the musical accessibility of a pop star. At 20, the Portland, Oregon native became the second youngest musician ever hired as a professor at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, a gig she landed after graduating from the school in 2005. She’s already racked up an impressive array of credits (Stanley Clarke, Pat Metheny, Joe Lovano), but Spalding’s infectious bandstand charisma, huge sound and singular sense of time are best experienced with her own stylistically flexible band. In demand around the world, she has twice appeared in command performances at the White House. And her second album, Esperanza, was released last year on the Heads Up label, featuring vocals sung in English, Spanish and Portuguese. “The coolest person we’ve ever had on the show. Beautiful!” David Letterman “One of the brightest new voices in jazz” JazzTimes |