September 28, 2008
Esperanza Spalding will be in Falmouth on October 4 to perform at JazzFest Falmouth, a week-long celebration of jazz, culminating is a 10-hour concert on Saturday at Marina Park on Falmouth Harbor. Esperanza is a virtuoso string bass player and a very talented and original singer, composer, and improvisor. She performed in Falmouth last November, and those in the audience were wowed by her beautiful voice and creative scat-style singing, as well as by her graceful and powerful control of the bass. And she is only 23, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, and one of its youngest faculty members.
She had begun her studies at Berklee at 17, with a full scholarship, and began teaching there when she was only 20. She also taught herself the violin when she was 4 or 5, apparently thinking it was a small cello–she had been inspired by Yo-Yo Ma’s appearance on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Since her November performance here, her career has really started to take off. When she was on the David Letterman show, Dave said she was “the coolest person” they ever had on the show.
She is very cool, and I am looking forward to seeing her perform. For now, though, here is a link to a Youtube video about her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZI7iPynrEM&feature=related
and her performance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show (I couldn’t find the Letterman appearance): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC21nP8yFX0&feature=related
Notes on The Arts 