PREVIEW: Esperanza Spalding Breaks The Mold

Sunday October 02, 2011

From The Indianapolis Star

Fresh off a Grammy win over Justin Bieber, jazz artist breaks mold
By: Jay Harvey

There’s no disturbing Esperanza Spalding’s conviction that not much has changed since the 2011 Grammy Awards, except she’s busier.

The bassist-vocalist had already delivered on an international reputation that surged in 2009 as her first CD, “Esperanza,” topped Billboard’s contemporary-jazz chart for 70 weeks, and the publicity cascade ranged from David Letterman and Tavis Smiley to President Obama’s invitation to perform at ceremonies connected with his Nobel Prize.

But walking away with this year’s Grammy award for Best New Artist — the first jazz musician to do so — made her a household name, even in households with Justin Bieber fans, where her name was not kindly spoken. Their rage after Spalding won the Grammy over Bieber was a briefly disturbing side issue that ironically put a seal on Spalding’s success.

The upshot was a 2011 performance schedule that suddenly became as crowded as an Oscar Peterson solo. It includes an Oct. 8 stop at Clowes Hall.

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Radio Song (clip)	1:01	Esperanza Spalding
Black Gold	5:17	Esperanza Spalding

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*Radio Music Society Trailer
Black Gold
Esperanza Spalding at the Nobel Prize Ceremony
Esperanza Spalding at the Oscars

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