Bass Player News
Esperanza Spalding wins Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award
“The Smithsonian has a long tradition of showcasing American ingenuity – in our collections we have Edison’s light bulb, the Wright Brother’s flyer, Henry Ford’s Model T, Steve Jobs’s Apple computer,” says Smithsonian Magazine Editor-in-Chief Michael Caruso. “That’s the spirit we wanted to capture in our pages, the people working today who are shaping the world of tomorrow.”
Among the presenters at the American Ingenuity Awards gala event was jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who presented the performing arts award to Spalding and said, “She is magnificent and poetic.” (Please see attached photo.) Spalding also performed at the gala.
Esperanza Spalding has become the first lady of jazz. She played with Stevie Wonder for President Obama at the White House and went on to become the first jazz musician to win a Best New Artist Grammy® with Chamber Music Society. Spalding’s latest release,Radio Music Society, her most diverse, ambitious and masterful recital yet, has spent over thirteen weeks at #1 on Billboard’sContemporary Jazz chart.
Smithsonian Magazine’s special December “augmented reality’ issue marking the awards hits stands December 4th. Throughout the issue, readers can use Smithsonian’s app to launch video and graphics that provide a firsthand glimpse of the winner’s achievements. The Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Awards will also be featured on the Smithsonian Channel and on a microsite at www.Smithsonian.com.