Esperanza Spalding
“Esperanza Spalding – Esperanza”
www.esperanzaspalding.com
Portland, OR native Esperanza Spalding made quite a splash when she arrived at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.  it was not long before she was talk of the town (landing a gig with Patti Austin by the end of her first semester).  The higher ups at Berklee saw something special in Esperanza and it took no time before she was touring full-time with Joe Lovano.  I admit, I was skeptical when I first started hearing about Esperanza…  knowing all too well how political an environment Berklee can be and knowing that raw talent isn’t always the reason the school chooses to support musicians.I am all too proud to report that Esperanza is an absolutely wonderful bassist, a truly lovely and unique vocalist and a very talented composer.  Well beyond her years and I now see why she has risen so quickly through the ranks (I believe that she is, now, the youngest faculty member at Berklee, as well!).

This CD is a nice blend of latin jazz, groove and hard swinging.  featuring an eclectic cast (Jamey Haddad, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Otis Brown, Leo Genovese & others) that delivers.  The playing all around is very on point…  Esperanza has a wonderful feel, killing tone and a lush voice.  Very worth checking out