Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue

ESPERANZA Interview by Jake Kot Esperanza Spalding esperanzaspalding.com facebook.com/EsperanzaSpalding Twitter @EspeSpalding This interview first appeared in the August 2010, 3rd Anniversary Issue of Bass Musician Magazine. Esperanza Spalding… There’s just no stopping this young and very talented artist. Beyond her best selling debut CD “Esperanza”, she’s won the Downbeats Critics Poll for best Acoustic Bass and Rising Star. If that’s not enough, she’s just signed on for her first movie appearance, and captured Oprah’s “10 Women on the Rise” seat…pretty impressive intro. A seriously gifted bassist, singer, and composer have always been a bit of an enigma. Having that elusive ability to weave and create a line through a harmonic structure and then artistically vocalize (in 3 languages I might add) counterpoint ideas simultaneously on the level that Esperanza commands is owned by very few players, and if you’ve caught her live, she makes it seem totally natural. Spanning and expanding the jazz genre is simply part of her makeup. Coming off a recent gig with McCoy Tyner and receiving major accolades from people of stature, including McCoy, is followed by rehearsals for her upcoming tour showcasing her latest release “Chamber Music Society” sporting a three piece string section and trio covering inspired original material

Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 102