Esperanza Spalding!!!

[Khromo]

Good golly, that is like magic!

The Wayne Shorter composition sure helps! But who hears a composition like that and says "I want to sing that! And play a beautiful bass line at the same time!?!?"

That's the kind of thing that sometimes makes you want to just put your instrument down for a while.

 

[anuj]

Here's one of the first shows from the Emily tour. Magic.

 

[Madsen]

I saw her open for Prince a few years back. She's quite a talent.

 

[prsjcm]

She is absolutely the real deal.

 

[klapaucjusz1]

She is quite an explosive talent. Her first few albums were pretty conservative and didn't do much for me, but then she completely pivoted in a very "artsy" and progressive direction and did the wonderfully original Emily's D+Evolution album, which is one of the best things I've heard in recent years. Extraordinary songs, bold arrangements, wonderful guitar by Matthew Stevens.Then came the very strange and quirky 12 little spells, which is a mixed bag of brilliance and extreme weirdness.

I love a lot of what I hear from her musically. An extraordinary artist for sure. I can't watch the live shows though - the theatrics and the speeches are not my thing completely. But hey, for the music she makes, she can do anything she wants

 

[Sam Sherry]

She sings joyously in at three languages, writes beautifully, leads bands actively and -- first and foremost -- she's an all-star badass double-bassist. It's a highly-intentional life for Ms. Spalding!

Here's a taste from her little-known, pre-fame first disc, "Junjo." She's singing while playing something entirely different, and not much easy, on the double bass. The disc dates from back when she was "just" the second-youngest Berklee professor ever, after Pat Metheny.

 

[derekd]

She's a real treasure.

 

[koji]

Wonderful. Mohini Dey is another that floors me.

 

[DGA]

Yeah, her ability to sing and play like that is just nuts.

 

[fetishfrog]

She’s just amazing.