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Esperanza spalding
players like her. I tease her that we play like an
old married couple. We both agree on what we
think is hip or not, and for that project I really
needed somebody who completed me in that
way—since bass and drums are the foundation
of everything. I have people on that CD representing
three or four different generations, and
she’s kind of one of the younger people but one
of the more accomplished as well. I learn a lot
from Esperanza.”
Somehow in the midst of all of that, Spalding
found time to record Radio Music Society.
Originally intended to be released simultaneously
with Chamber Music Society, the forthcoming
album promises to reveal yet another aspect of
her musical personality, focusing on her soul and
r&b influences. The album will feature collaborations
with A Tribe Called Quest rapper/producer
Q-Tip as well as reunions with Chamber collaborators
like Carrington and Goldstein, who
contributed an arrangement of Wayne Shorter’s
“Endangered Species.”
Goldstein, who has yet to hear the finished
product, anticipates that “it’s not going to totally
surprise everybody in terms of where her
skills are and where her ability is as a singer
or bass player or arranger. Not that we take her
for granted, but I already think of her as being
someone like Pat Metheny or Paul Simon, who
have an almost conscious way of making each
record show another layer of their personality.
I think she’s going to be one of those people
who’s not going to make the same record year
after year and is going to be rediscovering in
themselves what music is for them.”
For Lovano, Spalding’s artistic evolution is
evidence of her deeply personal approach to
music. Lovano invited her straight from one of
his student ensembles at Berklee into his double-drummer
Us Five quintet, with whom she’s
since recorded two CDs.
“She didn’t come in like a typical bass player
because she was new on the scene and experiencing
things for the first time,” Lovano recalls.
“But she lives in the world of music, and she’s
influenced by many things, and she can execute
her ideas in a lot of different ways. That’s coming
out in a real personal way and to me, that’s
what jazz music is about. When you went to
hear Miles, you didn’t just go to hear jazz, you
went to hear Miles. And Esperanza’s personality
is what people want to hear—her sound and
feeling and approach.”
Spalding repaid Lovano’s support recently,
inviting him to perform with her on a highprofile
gig opening for Prince at the L.A.
Forum, where the Purple One sat in. Also in
the group were guitarist Jef Lee Johnson, keyboardist
Raymond Angry and Carrington (on
drums), who saw the eclectic lineup as proof
of Spalding’s open-mindedness and instinct
for combining musicians and influences from
diverse backgrounds. Carrington is working
closely with Spalding on Radio Music Society
and sees those traits as a strong component of
the forthcoming album.
“She’s young and a product of the new
school hip-hop and r&b generation as well as
a student of the classic stuff,” Carrington says.
“Her music is global. It feels very accessible
but not dumbed-down to be accessible. It’s just
great songwriting.”
As Carrington points out, that unique combination
of accessibility and depth has earned
Spalding fans from the pop music world who
typically wouldn’t look twice at a jazz record
and from among jazz diehards who would normally
scorn mainstream success. “She’s a realdeal
talent,” Carrington says. “A lot of times it
takes a minute for the less-sophisticated listener
to get it, but somehow everybody seems to
embrace her. She has a way of getting through
those boundaries; even if people don’t understand
the music, they appreciate her personality
and overall vibe. I think that’s the key to her
success.”
At only 27 years of age, Spalding’s alreadyimpressive
resume only has room to grow. In
Lovano’s words, “Music is a blessing, and
Esperanza definitely has a voice out here that
will carry on into the future beautifully. And
she’s just scratching the surface.” DB
42 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011