#esperanzaspalding themysticmuse musicreview

[themysticmuse]

The Spectacular Esperanza Spalding

An absolute star that heralds from the halls of Berklee College of Music, Esperanza Spalding is this week's Mystical Muse, which just so happens to be one of our most scholarly submissions to this music blog. Born in Portland, Oregon, Spalding is a classical bassist, singer, and composer who has performed for the likes of President Obama at the prestigious White House Poetry Jam. Currently a practicing music professor at Harvard University, Spalding is one of the greatest jazz musicians of our time.

Spalding's continuous choice to rock her natural hair in spaces that would otherwise deem this showing of individuality inappropriate is a statement in itself. She commands attention, gracefully, and has continuously shined in her performances throughout the years. The amount of focus, soul, and fire she has inside of her is apparent as she grips her bass with absolute precision and pride. Spalding is a trailblazer in her own right, acquiring over four Grammy Awards, a Soul Train Music Award, and was also recognized for her accomplishments with a Boston Music Award, the home of her alma mater.

Writer Lara Pellegrinelli of NPR's Texas Public Radio writes, "When we see Esperanza Spalding playing her instrument as she sings, in front of her own band, in the context of the new musical worlds she has created, we bear witness to a woman who is so completely in control of her own context that she dwells at the foundation on which it stands," (Pellegrinelli). Spalding is utterly captivating both on stage and within her classroom as a music professor. If practice makes perfect, then innate talent such as Spalding makes true excellence.

Sources:

Mathis, Ayana. “Solange, the Polymathic Cultural Force.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/t-magazine/solange-interview.html.