Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding (born 18 October 1984 in Portland, Oregon) is an American jazz bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Among her awards are four Grammy awards, a Boston Music Award, and a Soul Train Music Award. She was born in the city of Portland, state of Oregon. She began to professionally engage in music in childhood, performing as a violinist in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at the age of five. Later, she independently studied other instruments, including guitar and bass. Her skill brought her academic scholarships at Portland State University and the Berklee College of Music[1], where Spalding studied music. Spalding released her first album, Junjo, in 2006 on the Spanish label Ayva Musica, after which she signed a contract with the independent American label Heads Up, which released her self-titled album in 2007. Her third studio album, Chamber Music Society (2010), was a commercial success, taking the 34 place on the Billboard 200 chart. Spalding also received her first Grammy award for this album as Best New Artist, becoming the first jazz musician to receive an award in this category[2]. She received further recognition thanks to her fourth release, Radio Music Society (2012), which won the Grammy award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, as well as the track City of Roses, which won in the category Best Arrangement, Instrument and Vocals. Having spent the next few years as part of a band, Spalding released her fifth studio album. Inspired by funk rock, the conceptual album entitled Emily's D+Evolution, which was co-produced by Tony Visconti, was released on Concord Records. The following year, she released the album Exposure, which was released in a limited edition of 7777 copies. Her sixth studio album, 12 Little Spells, was released in 2019 and took the first place on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. The album was also nominated for two Grammy awards, winning in the category Best Jazz Vocal Album. In addition to writing and performing music, Spalding worked as an instructor at the Berklee College of Music starting at 20. Also in 2017, Spalding was appointed professor of the practice of music at Harvard University. In 2018, Spalding received an honorary doctorate of music from her alma mater, the Berklee College of Music, and spoke at the commencement ceremony[3]. Rolling Stone magazine placed her in the 45 place on its list of the greatest bassists of all time[4].