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11.03.09

Contact: Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts, Jessica Moore, jkmoore@emory.edu, 404-727-1687; Sally Corbett, sacorbe@emory.edu, cell 678-428-9279

JAZZ PRODIGY ESPERANZA SPALDING TO PERFORM AND TEACH NOV. 13-14

Late Night TV Circuit, White House, and Emory Among International Appearances

At age four, after watching classical cellist Yo Yo Ma perform on “ Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” an inspiration came to jazz artist Esperanza Spalding. “It was definitely the thing that hipped me to the whole idea of music as a creative pursuit,” says Spalding. Within a year, she learned to play violin well enough to become a part of the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. By age 15 she became their concertmaster, but also discovered the bass and other music genres. Now in her mid-twenties, the musician, composer, model (as seen in Banana Republic ads) and instructor is a hit on the late-night television circuit (David Letterman; Jimmy Kimmel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC21nP8yFX0) and garners illustrious honors, such as opening the first White House Poetry Slam last May.

Spalding’s international tour brings her to Emerson Concert Hall in Emory University’s Schwartz Center on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. for a concert with drummer Lyndon Rochelle and pianist Leo Genovese. They will perform contemporary American and Brazilian jazz, including Spalding’s own music. As an Emory Coca-Cola Artist-in-Residence Spalding leads a masterclass with demonstrations and a question and answer period on Fri., Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center, Tharp Rehearsal Hall (free and open for public observation).

Spalding was born in 1984 and raised on what she calls “the other side of the tracks” in a multilingual household and neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. Armed with her GED and aided by a scholarship, Spalding enrolled in the music program at Portland State University, which led to a place at Berklee College of Music, NY. In 2005, after three years of accelerated study, the jazz bassist and vocalist became the youngest (age 20) faculty member in the history of Berklee.

Spalding’s international recording debut is entitled “Esperanza.” She is currently recording an album for release in 2010.

The Nov. 14 Emory concert includes selections such as Betty Carter’s “Jazz Ain't Nothing but Soul,” the Brazilian hit “Punta de Areia” and many of Spalding’s own compositions including as “She Got to You,” “Sunlight” and “Winter Sun.”

Gary Motley, Director of Jazz Studies at Emory, says, "Esperanza Spalding represents the future of jazz. It is important that we continue to pass the jazz tradition on to younger generations. How fortunate we are that artists like Esperanza are graciously embracing this responsibility and charting a new and exciting course for this music."

Spalding is known for her uncanny instrumental chops and a multi-lingual voice. The Seattle Times called her “an irresistible performer” while Ben Ratliff of The New York Times wrote, “the Esperanza Spalding experience is light, melodic, joyful, always sort of minimalist and airborne.” Of a June 2009 performance, the New York Times wrote, “In her ebullient singing and her agile bass playing, Ms. Spalding radiated a cyclone-force charisma, along with the fresh-faced self-conviction that only precocity can bestow.”

The Emory concert is part of the long-standing Flora Glen Candler Concert Series at the University, which features the foremost artists of the jazz, classical, contemporary and world music fields. Concert tickets ($50; $37 non-Emory students, patrons over 65, and other discount category members; $20 Emory students) are available at 404-727-5050 or www.arts.emory.edu.

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ARTS AT EMORY
The mission for the arts at Emory University is to provide a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment for the study, creation and presentation of the arts. For more information on the Schwartz Center or Arts at Emory events, visit www.arts.emory.edu and www.creativity.emory.edu, or call the Arts at Emory box office at 404-727-5050.

EDITORS, REVIEWERS, AND PHOTOGRAPHERS PLEASE NOTE: Photographs available upon request. Requests to photograph the concert must be received by Emory 42 hours in advance for consideration by the artist’s management (restrictions may apply). Please call if you would like to request review seats or an interview.

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