Esperanza Spalding
| Esperanza Spalding | |
|---|---|
Spalding performing in 2012
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Esperanza Emily Spalding |
| Born |
October 18, 1984 Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Genres | Jazz, jazz fusion, bossa nova, neo soul, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, educator, bandleader |
| Instruments | Double bass, bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Stanley Clarke, Patti Austin, Joe Lovano |
| Website | esperanzaspalding |
Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American jazz bassist and singer. Spalding was raised in Portland, Oregon and was a musical prodigy, playing violin in the Chamber Music Society of Oregon at five years old. She was later both self-taught and -trained on a number of instruments, including guitar and bass. Her proficiency earned her scholarships to Portland State University and the Berklee College of Music.
She has won four Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award.
Spalding was born in Portland, Oregon, to an African-American father and a mother of Welsh, Native American, and Hispanic descent. She was raised in the King, Alberta neighborhood in North-East Portland which at that time was at its height of gang violence. Her mother raised her and her brother as a single parent.
Spalding has an interest in the music of other cultures, including that of Brazil, commenting: "With Portuguese songs, the phrasing of the melody is intrinsically linked with the language, and it's beautiful." Spalding's mother shares her interest in music, having nearly become a touring singer herself. Spalding's mother took note of her musical proclivity when Spalding was able to reproduce Beethoven by ear on the family's piano. Spalding has credited watching classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma perform on an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as an integral part of her childhood, and what inspired her to pursue music.
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