Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society - 28th Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival

 

Seemingly overnight, bassist-singer Esperanza Spalding has created a sensation in the music world, with over 150 performances a year from Austin City Limits to President Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo. Her 2008 major label debut, Esperanza, rose quickly on the Billboard jazz chart and stayed there for 62 weeks. As a bassist, Spalding’s credentials are impeccable — she attended the prestigious Berklee School of Music and became their youngest-ever faculty member by the time she was 20. Further, she has worked with jazz giants from McCoy Tyner to Joe Lovano, Regina Carter, Michel Camilo, Mike Stern and others. But what distinguishes Esperanza from the pack are her vocals — singing in English, Spanish and Portuguese, she represents one of the most exciting voices in jazz. Spalding’s innovative new CD, Chamber Music Society, combines a classical string trio with a rhythm section and features guests including Milton Nascimento and Gil Goldstein. Talk to anyone who saw her sold-out SFJAZZ show last fall and they’ll tell you she is awesome!