Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Esperanza Spalding

For those naysayers who claim that jazz is dead, I say they probably haven't listened to Esperanza Spalding.


Ms. Spalding, along with other emerging artists such as Robert Glaser and Jason Moran, are bringing a new sense of excitement and innovation to a genre some have all but relegated to a thing of the past.  Anyone who has seen her perform - of which her fan base includes President Obama, who has invited her to play at the White House on various occasions - knows this.  Whether playing songs from her recent soul-hinged "Radio Music Society" album, her more intimate chamber-inspired compositions, or sitting in with an ensemble of jazz legends Wayne Shorter and Jack DeJohnette, she stands to carry on the tradition set forth by those such as Herbie Hancock who are able to play in such a diverse style, they often blur the lines between jazz, R&B, and whatever else might come their way. 

In short, she is giving new meaning to what it means to be a jazz musician in the modern times - creating new sounds, defying genres, all while paying tribute to those who came before her.


 
 

Among her many projects lately, Ms. Spalding has been touring with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and pianist Geri Allen in a trio simply named ACS.  Their setlist draws largely from a repertoire of Wayne Shorter standards, as well as a selection of their own compositions.  I saw the trio's recent performance at the newly opened SFJAZZ Center, where the Miner Auditorium's minimalist design set a perfect tone for their modern style of improvisation. 

Shorter's tunes, such as "Infant Eyes", "Fall", and "Nefertiti", are best characterized by their complex harmonic structures, as opposed to earlier styles of jazz compositions that draw more heavily from the great American songbook and traditional blues forms.  This style of jazz has its risks, as less seasoned audience members may get lost without a prominent, thematic melody driving the piece along.  But with risk comes reward, and this was definitely the case with ACS's performance.




With the superb acoustics of the Miner Auditorium on display, Spalding, Allen, and Carrington played seamlessly as a trio.  No one taking particular center stage, but rather sharing a musical 'conversation' with each other that the audience was allowed to listen in - or perhaps more aptly, eavesdrop in on.  The three women displayed a maturity in their playing that allowed the music to breath and slowly unfold as it took shape. 

This was exemplified in their original composition, "Unconditional Love", which began with a long introduction of Spalding's unique style of vocal improvising and bass, with Allen adding subtle lines of impressionistic piano to fill in behind.  The song built over the next few minutes, eventually coming to head with a deep drum and bass groove from Spalding and Carrington and assertive solo from Allen.  The band emerged, coming alive with a sense of energy that proved their talents (not that there was any doubt to begin with).  The original composition easily stood up to any of the Wayne Shorter standards they played that night. 
 
Ms. Spalding's tour with ACS continues through the end of the year with a variety of European tour dates.