Esperanza Spalding: Difference between revisions
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'''Esperanza |
'''Esperanza Spalding''' (born 1984)<ref name=leggett>{{cite web |url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p514023/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Biography |accessdate=2008-06-13 |last= Leggett |first=Steve |work=[[Allmusic]] |publisher=[[All Media Guide]] }}</ref> is an [[United States|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]],<ref name=2011Grammy>http://www.grammy.com/NOMINEES</ref> making her the first jazz artist to win the award.<ref name="IBT">{{cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/112385/20110215/spalding-has-made-history-in-winning-best-new-artist-award.htm|title=Spalding has made history for winning best new artist award|last=Allen|first=Floyd|date=14 February 2011|work=International Business Times|accessdate=15 February 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://smoothjazzbuzz.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/esperanza-spalding-has-won-the-grammy®-award-for-best-new-artist/ Esperanza Spalding has won the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist]. ''Smooth Jazz Buzz''. February 14, 2011. Retrieved 15 Feb 2011.</ref> |
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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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Revision as of 14:56, 17 February 2011
Esperanza Spalding |
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Esperanza Spalding (born 1984)[1] 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,[2] making her the first jazz artist to win the award.[3][4]
Biography
Early life and education
Spalding grew up in the King neighborhood of Portland, Oregon,[5] a neighborhood she describes as "ghetto" and "pretty scary".[6] Her mother raised her and her brother as a single parent.[7]
Spalding has a diverse ethnic background.[6][8] She notes, "My mom is Welsh, Hispanic, and Native American, and my father is black."[9][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.[7][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.[7]
By the time Spalding was five, she had taught herself to play the violin and was playing with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon.[7] Spalding stayed with the Chamber Music Society of Oregon until she was fifteen and left as concertmaster.[7] Due to a lengthy illness when she was child, Spalding spent much of her elementary school years being homeschooled,[7] but also attended King Elementary School in Northeast Portland.[5] 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 8 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.[1][7] She is able to sing in English, Spanish and Portuguese.[14]
Discovering the bass
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.[15][16] The school was not a good fit, but the bass was.[15] Spalding found high school "easy – and boring" and dropped out. 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.[15][18] Her band teacher showed her a blues line for the bass which she later used to secure her first gig.[15] After that, she went in to play the bass daily and gradually fell in love.[12]
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]
College
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."[7] Although she lacked the training of her fellow students, she feels that her teachers nevertheless recognized her talent.[7] 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][15] 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][15]
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]
Touring
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 only play one line on bass.[15] 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.[15] 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.[15]
Patti Austin hired Spalding to tour with her internationally after Spalding's first semester at Berklee,[15] 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]
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]
Teaching
Spalding was the 2005 recipient of the Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship.[7] Almost immediately after graduation from college later the same year, Spalding was hired by Berklee College of Music, becoming one of the youngest professors in the institution's history,[21] 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] 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] Since that time, Spalding currently lives in Austin, Texas.[23]
Solo records and collaborations
Spalding has recorded three albums Junjo (2006), Esperanza (2008) and Chamber Music Society (2010).[17][24] The first 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] 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."[10] Siddhartha Mitter wrote in the Boston Globe on May 23, 2008 that "the big change" in Esperanza "is the singing..... This makes [Esperanza] a much more accessible album, and in some ways more conventional."[25] In 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."[26]
In addition to these albums, Spalding has collaborated with Fourplay, Stanley Clarke, Christian Scott, Donald Harrison, Joe Lovano, Nino Josele, Nando Michelin, and Theresa Perez.[19]
Her next project, scheduled for release in late 2011, is an album currently titled Radio Music Society, which she hopes will showcase jazz musicians in an accessible manner suitable for mainstream radio.[27]
Critical reception
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."[15] Ben Ratliff wrote in The New York Times on July 9, 2006 that Spaldings voice is "light and high, up in Blossom Dearie's pitch range, and she can sing quietly, almost in a daydream" and that Spalding "invents her own feminine space, a different sound from top to bottom."[28]
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."[29] 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."[29] 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.[30]
On Thursday 2 December 2010, Spalding became a Grammy nominee for "Best New Artist",[31] an honor she won at the February 2011 53rd Grammy Awards.[27]
Influences and attitude toward music and jazz
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.[citation needed] She has described the saxophone player Wayne Shorter[13], and singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento, as heroes[32]. 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."[10] 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."[6] 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...."[6]
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.[13][10] 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]
Performances
Some of Spalding's high-profile performances include:
- 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and Concert
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.[33]
- 2009 Park City Jazz Festival
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.[34]
- 2010 BET Awards
As a tribute to Prince, Spalding was invited to sing along with Patti LaBelle, Alicia Keys, and Janelle Monae. Spalding performed the 1987 hit single "If I Was Your Girlfriend."[33][35]
- 2010 Austin City Limits (PBS-TV)
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.[36][37]
Discography
Solo albums
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| April 18, 2006 | Junjo[n 1] | Ayva Music |
| May 20, 2008 | Esperanza | Heads Up International |
| August 17, 2010 | Chamber Music Society[n 2] | Heads Up International |
Notes
- ^ Accompanied by Cuban pianist and drummer.
- ^ Accompanied by flamenco guitar guitarist Niño Josele, percussionist Jamey Haddad, drummer Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, saxophonist Donald Harrison and others.
With Noise for Pretend
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October 30, 2001 | Blanket Music/Noise For Pretend | Hush Records |
| July 2, 2002 | Happy You Near | Hush Records |
With Stanley Clarke
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October 16, 2007 | The Toys of Men | Heads Up International |
With Nando Michelin
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2006 | Duende | Fresh Sound New Talent |
| January 4, 2010 | Reencontro | Blue Music Group |
With M. Ward
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| March 18, 2003 | Transfiguration of Vincent | Merge Records |
With Mike Stern
| Original Release Date | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| August 11, 2009 | Big Neighborhood | Heads Up International |
References
- ^ a b Leggett, Steve. "Biography". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ http://www.grammy.com/NOMINEES
- ^ Allen, Floyd (14 February 2011). "Spalding has made history for winning best new artist award". International Business Times. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ Esperanza Spalding has won the GRAMMY® Award for Best New Artist. Smooth Jazz Buzz. February 14, 2011. Retrieved 15 Feb 2011.
- ^ a b Bancud, Michaela (December 14, 2001). "Esperanza in the Wings". Portland Tribune. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Symister-Masterson, Cheryl K., (September 2006). - "Esperanza Spalding: It's Natural". - Jazz Review.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Biography". - Esperanza Spalding Official Web Site.
- ^ Ramírez, Deborah (August 14, 2008). "Touching Bass - Jazz Phenom Sings, Plays and Talks Norah Jones". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- ^ Booth, Philip (2009). "At Only 24, Jazz Phenom Esperanza Spalding Has the Ultimate 'X-Factor'". Bass Player. New Bay Media, LLC. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ a b c d Morales, Ed (June 23, 2008). "Esperanza Spalding's debut picks up where jazz fusion of the 1970s left off". PopMatters.com.
- ^ 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 Booth, Philip (2006). "Esperanza Spalding". Bass Player. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h Peña, Tomas (May 28, 2008). "In Conversation with Esperanza Spalding". Jazz Magazine (c/o Jazz.com). Retrieved 2008-06-13.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ 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". - Berklee College of Music.
- ^ De Barros, Paul (January 15, 2008). "A Hopeful Outlook for Jazz - Esperanza Spalding". The Seattle Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Knight, Nokware (July 30, 2008). "Esperanza Spalding Interview". Nu-Soul Magazine.
- ^ Norris, Michele (2008-05-15). "Esperanza Spalding: Voice of the Bass" (radio). All Things Considered. National Public Radio. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ a b c 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". Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Booth, Philip (2008). "At Only 24, Jazz Phenom Esperanza Spalding Has The Ultimate 'X-Factor'". Bass Player. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Esperanza Spalding, "Grooves"". The Early Show's "The Second Cup Café" television programme. CBS. August 23, 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ The populist jazz of Esperanza Spalding : The New Yorker
- ^ Levine, Doug (May 27, 2008). "Debut Album Shows Off Esperanza Spalding's Multiple Talents". VOA News. Voice of America. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
- ^ Mitter, Siddhartha (May 23, 2008). - "Making a statement: Bassist Spalding adds lyrics to her many jazz talents". - The Boston Globe.
- ^ Jarenwattananon, Patrick (August 8, 2010). - [1]. - NPR Music.
- ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon (February 14, 2011). "Esperanza Spalding: Who is the surprise Best New Artist?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (July 9, 2006). "Suite for Gas Pump and Coffin Lid". The New York Times.
- ^ 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. - Template:Es.
- ^ Oregon Music News (December 1, 2010). -
- ^ "Chamber Music Society: The Making Of"
- ^ a b Chinen, Nate (15 February 2011). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Esperanza Spalding Is a Surprise Winner at the Grammys". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "Notes from PCTV: PC Jazz Fest Announces Lineup". Park City TV. May 4, 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "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. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "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
Further reading
- Murphy, Sarah, "Student Profile: Esperanza Spalding", Berklee College of Music, April 2004
- Colapinto, John (15 March 2010). "Profiles: New Note". The New Yorker. 86 (4): 32–39.
External links
