“one of the most fruitful and strikingly original careers in contemporary pop.” – Rolling Stone
Here, esperanza performs songs from all eight of her previous albums, songs from current releases, plus a special preview of her forthcoming project. She emphasizes simplicity and intimacy of voice, bass, and songs in this special configuration of two musicians and two dancers.
Born in 1984 in Portland, Oregon, esperanza spalding is an eaabibacliitoti* artist. She trained and initiated in the North American (masculine) jazz lineage and tradition. Her work interweaves through various combinations of instrumental music, bass playing, improvisation, singing, composition, poetry, dance, and therapeutic research. She also engages in storytelling, teaching, regenerative agriculture, urban land & artist-sanctuary custodianship. Moreover, through her art she grows in love as a daughter, sister, cousin, niece, auntie, great-auntie, friend. She collaborates with her hometown community to decolonize within and through that community.
2024’s Milton + esperanza is spalding’s first new album since she released 2021’s songwrights apothecary lab. That album, and 2019’s 12 Little Spells, both won Grammy Awards (Best Jazz Vocal Album). spalding released a protest song in 2024 entitled “Não Ao Marco Temporal” that was recorded in Rio. A five-time Grammy winner and eleven-time nominee, spalding has previously released eight full length albums. She has worked with her heroes, including Milton Nascimento and Wayne Shorter. Furthermore, she has collaborated with Q-Tip, Janelle Monae, Robert Glasper, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others.
She also co-leads workshops and therapeutic-arts research residencies. She does this through her dance project “Off Brand gOdds” and her therapeutic music incubator “Songwrights Apothecary Lab”. In 2024, she received the Doris Duke Foundation Artist Award and was a 2016 Ford Foundation “Art of Change” Fellow.
*European-African ancestored being influenced by American cultures living in Indigenous Territories of Turtle Island.
Recommended for fans of Stevie Wonder, Robert Glasper, D’Angelo and Cécile McLorin Salvant.
