Spalding, Esperanza
Heads Up, 2012, CD
Instrument: Guitar
Issue: 18.1
Jazz Ruler Type: R&B+Jazz
Performance: 5
Sound: 4
Score: 
O’s Notes: Radio Music Society (Deluxe Edition) is the latest release from the increasingly popular young bassist, vocalist, writer and professor. Esperanza is in her zone with many genres and this time out she focuses on radio-friendly contemporary jazz tracks. She gets production help from Q-tip and first call drummers Billy Hart, Terri Lynn Carrington and Jack DeJohnette play. Joe Lovano plays sax on “I Can’t Help It” and Lalah Hathaway shares duties on the mic on “Endangered Species. Spalding includes a DVD that is a bit more engaging than the usual music videos and hints at perhaps another endeavor on the silver screen. At 27 with a fresh Grammy under her belt, the sky is the limit!
Publicist: Telarc Jazz