Esperanza Spalding: Redefining Jazz

Thousands of Justin Bieber fans furious about Esperanza Spalding winning the 2010 Grammy for "Best New Artist" reacted against the saucy sweet bassist with Wiki vandalism and other internet pranks. Spalding's unique sound and incredible talent would turn any "Belieber" into a jazz fanatic, giving a fresh young face to a musical style often considered as musically relevant as the 8-track.

Esperanza Spalding, with her honeyed voice, intricate harmonies, Brazilian beats, and intense maturity demonstrates that American jazz has a future in the 21st century amidst Justin Bieber frenzy, Lady Gaga shenanigans, and Chris Brown convictions. As a talented young woman, Spalding redefines our historical concept of jazz as esoteric music of the Roaring Twenties, red light districts, and extinct 1940s big bands. While jazz greats like Herbie Hancock and Winton Marsalis continue to keep jazz alive through exciting new projects and educational programs, the face of American jazz has been an old one for decades. Spalding shows fans from Obama to Oprah what a youthful melting pot contemporary American jazz can be as she combines folk music and world fusion in "Esperanza" and "Junjo."

Confined by illness, the young Esperanza Spalding did not attend traditional schools. Home-schooled and self-taught in Oregon, Spalding absorbed music of all kinds, her intellectual curiosity taking her on a musical journey through classical music, bebop, funk, samba, and hip-hop. Like other jazz greats trained in classical music, Spalding incorporates contemporary classical tonality with her signature musical style. Esperanza Spalding sings in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, reflecting her unique cultural heritage, and combines the twisted harmonies of jazz with the addictive rhythms of samba and world fusion.

What sets Esperanza Spalding apart from her pop rivals? While no one can deny Esperanza's natural beauty, Spalding achieved musical fame through two decades of perseverance and not millions of fawning hormone-driven You Tube fans. At the age of sixteen, she studied bass at Portland State University and eventually entered the life-changing Berklee College of Music. At the age of 20 she became the youngest instructor at the Berklee College of Music and began working with talented musicians like Pat Metheny, Patti Austin, and Dave Samuels. While Miley Cyrus was working the pole, Spalding was working as a professional composer and instrumentalist, earning a reputation that landed her on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Oprah, the Late Show with David Letterman, and the White House.

Spalding's latest project, "Chamber Music Society," combines her love of classical with the spontaneity and improvisation of jazz and folk music. America's "Best New Artist" continues to awe her international audiences with a new sound and captivating vocals that revolutionize world fusion and jazz.

SOURCES:

US Magazine. "Justin Bieber Fans Attack Esperanza Spalding After Grammy Upset." US Magazine.com.
Official Site of Esperanza Spalding. "All About Me." Esperanza Spalding.com.