CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
Esperanza Spalding

Zankel Hall
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 8:30 PM

Esperanza Spalding, Vocals and Bass
Leonardo Genovese, Piano
Terri Lyne Carrington, Drums
Tineke Postma, Saxophone

The previously announced George Wein's Newport All-Stars event has been replaced by Esperanza Spalding.

Ticketholders with questions should contact Carnegie Charge at 212-247-7800.

Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with George Wein.

This concert and Just Jazz: The Joyce Wein Series are sponsored by the Joyce and George Wein Foundation in memory of Joyce Wein.

Program Notes:

JEFF TAMARKIN on
ESPERANZA SPALDING

Since taking office earlier this year, President Obama has hosted several live music events at the White House. But only one artist has been invited to perform twice: Esperanza Spalding, the bassist and singer from Portland, Oregon, who has taken the jazz world by storm.

Being asked back for an encore performance at such a prestigious venue would be an honor even for a legendary veteran of the music biz. But Spalding, at 25, is more often than not still referred to as a “rising star.” And while that is undeniably true—her profile is certainly on the ascendant—Spalding already boasts a resume that would be the envy of many musicians twice her age. A prodigy who began on the violin at age five, she discovered the upright double bass at 14 and within a year was playing professionally. Before long, she was collaborating with some of the top names in jazz and R&B, among them Pat Metheny, Patti Austin, and Joe Lovano.

Receiving a full scholarship from the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, Spalding was subsequently hired in 2005 as the youngest faculty member in the school’s history. The following year, she released her debut album, the all-instrumental Junjo, but it wasn’t until the 2008 release of Esperanza (Heads Up Records)—adding Esperanza’s vocals to the mix—that widespread recognition came to this young, talented artist. Singing in three languages, writing most of the music, producing and arranging, the multitasking-Spalding proved a confident and open-minded performer capable of fusing genres and moods into something wholly her own.

“I just allow the songs that enter my sphere to grow how they want to,” she says. “The idea is to allow an arrangement or tune to develop naturally. I believe the more I practice that (since of course, it’s all based on what sounds good to me), my sound will become more and more solid—its own unique, unified thang.”

Indeed, Spalding notes, the songs from the Esperanza album have evolved since she recorded them, and her performances in general have become more sophisticated and dynamic. “I’ve learned by audience reaction. We play the arrangements a lot freer, and have incorporated new compositions and tunes into the set. We are a lot tighter as a group, and I have certainly grown in my delivery as a vocalist. And the bass is always getting stronger.”

Although the White House is a hard act to follow, Spalding is looking forward to playing Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, where she will be joined by Leonardo Genovese (piano),
Terri Lynne Carrington (drums), and Tineke Postma (saxophone). “This is a very special date for me,” Spalding says. “It’s an honor to be invited to play on a stage graced by so many masters!”

Jeff Tamarkin is a veteran music journalist.

© 2009 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

Esperanza Spalding, Vocals and Bass
ESPERANZA SPALDING

If esperanza is the Spanish word for hope, then bassist, vocalist, and composer Esperanza Spalding could not have been given a more fitting name at birth. Blessed with uncanny instrumental chops, a multilingual voice that is part angel and part siren, and a natural beauty that borders on the hypnotic, the 25-year-old prodigy-turned-pro might well be the hope for the future of jazz and instrumental music.

Irresistible. Interpretive. Perceptive. Such words are very much at the core of Spalding’s life story, but the story is anything but typical. She was born in 1984 and raised on what she calls “the other side of the tracks” in a multilingual household and neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Growing up in a single-parent home amid economically adverse circumstances, she learned early lessons in the meaning of perseverance and moral character from the role model whom she holds in the highest regard to this day: her mother.

But even with a rock-solid role model, school did not come easy for Spalding, although not for any lack of intellectual acumen. She was both blessed and cursed with a highly intuitive learning style that often put her at odds with the traditional education system. On top of that, she was shut in by a lengthy illness as a child, and as a result, was home-schooled for a significant portion of her elementary school years. In the end, she never quite adjusted to learning by rote in the conventional school setting.

However, the one pursuit that made sense to Spalding from a very early age was music. At age four, after watching classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the roadmap was suddenly very clear. Within a year, she had essentially taught herself to play the violin well enough to land a spot in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon, a community orchestra that was open to both children and adult musicians. She stayed with the group for 10 years, and by age 15, she had been elevated to a concertmaster position.

But by then, she had also discovered the bass, and all of the non-classical avenues that the instrument could open for her. Suddenly, playing classical music in a community orchestra wasn’t enough for this young teenager anymore. Before long, she was playing blues, funk, hip-hop, and a variety of other styles on the local club circuit.

Berklee College of Music was the place where the pieces all came together and doors started opening. After a move to the opposite coast and three years of accelerated study, she not only earned her bachelor’s, but also signed on as an instructor in 2005 at the age of 20—an appointment that has made her the youngest faculty member in the history of the college. (It was also that year when she received the prestigious Boston Jazz Society scholarship for outstanding musicianship.)

In addition to the studying and the teaching, the Berklee years have also created a host of networking opportunities. Since her move to the East Coast, Spalding has worked with several notable artists, including pianist Michel Camilo, vibraphonist Dave Samuels, bassist Stanley Clarke, guitarist Pat Metheny, singer Patti Austin, and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joe Lovano.

“I think there are some outside forces that have blessed me with creative talents, and I don’t want to disrespect whatever plan the cosmos or the heavens or God or whoever might have for me,” she explains. “But based on what I know about myself right now, what I really want to do is reach people. I want to make great music, but I also want to use that talent to lift people up, and maybe show them some degree of hope where there might not be any in their lives. My name means hope in Spanish, and it’s a name I want to live up to.”

Leonardo Genovese, Piano

Terri Lyne Carrington, Drums

Tineke Postma, Saxophone