Music Review: Esperanza Spalding - Chamber Music Society

Ever since the 53^rd Grammy Awards telecast on February 13, 2011, jazz artist Esperanza Spalding has become a household name.  Not only did she win the coveted Best New Artist trophy, she beat out some daunting—and more familiar—competition, namely Justin Bieber.  Controversy aside (some enraged Bieber fans actually vandalized Spalding's Wikipedia page after the ceremony), Spalding is an impressive stand-up bass player, singer, and composer who demonstrates her abilities on her latest album, Chamber Music Society. 

The title "Best New Artist" is a bit of a misnomer for Spalding, as she has been a fixture on the jazz scene for a few years.  At 16 she enrolled in Portland State University's music program—the youngest bass player in the department—and eventually earned her B.M. at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2005.  Immediately after graduation she began teaching there, honing her craft and forging connections with artists such as saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist Pat Metheny, and bassist Stanley Clarke.  By 2008 she released her first solo album, Esperanza, which earned critical acclaim and led to her winning the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2009 Jazz Award for Up and Coming Artist of the Year.  Subsequently she made the jazz festival rounds, performing at such events as the Newport Jazz Festival and Central Park SummerStage in New York. 

Proving her emerging talent was no fluke, Spalding's latest album, Chamber Music Society, brings together her classical background, love of world music and folk, and her forays into free jazz.  The album represents one of those works that requires close listening, as her bass playing defies description.  Tunes such as "Little Fly" and "Knowledge of Good and Evil" feature a string section's delicate notes while Spalding, gently plucking the bass, demonstrates that classical and jazz can complement each other.  Interestingly, the lyrics to "Little Fly" are derived from a William Blake poem.  "Chacarera" uses exotic percussion as an undercurrent to the strings and Spalding's bass, making for a fascinating listening experience.  Another world-music-influenced track, "Inutil Paisagem," is bare-bones, consisting of Spalding's bass, accompanied by two voices: Spalding's and Gretchen Parlato's; the latter provides percussion through hand claps.  These simple elements combine to form a lovely, lilting Latin tune.

Article Author: Kit O'Toole

Kit O'Toole is a lifelong music enthusiast who maintains a music blog, Listen to the Band. In addition, she is the internet columnist and a contributing editor for Beatlefan magazine. She also holds an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology.

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