Shes talented.. Id rather listen to Meshell if we are talking about female bass players/composers here.
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"Esperanza Spalding Is The 21st Century's Jazz Genius"
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She is a solid player, performer, and artist. Problem with Jazz + young people, is they are quick to announce someone as "groundbreaking" "the best (insert here)".
Sometimes the accolades are based purely on what they are exposed to.
Sometimes the accolades are based purely on what they are exposed to.
I am sure she would be delighted to hear this valuable piece of information...
Einstein was a genius. She is a fantastic musician but not a genius.
Ok, ok, they should take a "thus far" on the end. Better?
No offense, but that is stating the obvious.
I read the article and one question I'd offer in support of it is who is her competition for this title?
I've been playing a long time and the ease at which she does what she does amazes me. I guess one slap against her is that some of her music doesn't have enough dust on it... it's adventurous, outside of the box and ultimately, fun. The ability to play, sing, write and lead at her level puts her at the top of my list for this title.
I think a jam project with her and Annie-St.Vincent (both Berklee alum) would be great to hear, as long as they keep it loose and don't try to attach any special significance or plot to it. I think they are both too clever and I wish they would just play. Or as Frank said,...
I'd put Janet Weiss on drums because she IS a genius. It would be the New Trio of Doom.
I'd put Janet Weiss on drums because she IS a genius. It would be the New Trio of Doom.
I saw her SAT scores. Legit genius. So, there.
Kamasi Washington? Shabaka Hutchings?
But maybe also it is one of thise categories like “The Greastest Eighteenth-Century Astronaut” that is not destined to be filled at all.
I’m now listening to Emily’s D+Evolution again though, so O guess it worked.
I don't know. The murder of Stanford White in June of 1906 was billed as "The Crime Of The Century" despite having over nine tenths to go including two world wars, countless acts of terrorism, genocide, the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindberg, Jr., prohibition mobsters, presidential assassinations, and Stan Polley. Not to mention Yoko.
She's a great player, singer, and an interesting composer. I dig her.
All I'd say is, let us let her do her thing for a while, and enjoy it, before we elevate her to the status of "The Jazz Genius" of the century (whatever that is).
I guess the people who write about music feel like they have to attach the most provocative headline possible to their stuff in order to get anyone to read it.
Like many others, I don't care for reviewer's hyperbole in making grand pronouncements. I know that is what sells copies\clicks, no one is going to read "This performer is pretty good," but I generally react negatively to declarations of the greatest of anything.
She is undeniably a good player. I am only passingly familiar with her work, but it doesn't sound ground breaking to me. She has done a good job at making jazz approachable; whether that is "genius" or not, is up for debate. I'm not a great judge of voices, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I don't hear anything special in her singing.
Did she deserve the best new artist Grammy more than the other people in the category? You bet, but I wouldn't call beating Justin Bieber in a music contest difficult. At least in a sane world it would be; but we don't live in a sane world.
I have recently tried to explore some new jazz, and her name has come up a lot in my search. She just doesn't quite do it for me.
She is undeniably a good player. I am only passingly familiar with her work, but it doesn't sound ground breaking to me. She has done a good job at making jazz approachable; whether that is "genius" or not, is up for debate. I'm not a great judge of voices, so maybe take this with a grain of salt, but I don't hear anything special in her singing.
Did she deserve the best new artist Grammy more than the other people in the category? You bet, but I wouldn't call beating Justin Bieber in a music contest difficult. At least in a sane world it would be; but we don't live in a sane world.
I have recently tried to explore some new jazz, and her name has come up a lot in my search. She just doesn't quite do it for me.
I started a thread last year called "Singing while playing over complicated bass lines" ..... I started that thread after watching THIS:
Oh yeah .... and while playing fretless with impeccable intonation too
Mind blown every time!!!!
Oh yeah .... and while playing fretless with impeccable intonation too
Mind blown every time!!!!
The author of the article is highly educated with scholastic accolades across the board. If you have to tell your medium how great something is, it should have already made itself evident.
Jazz is a immersive and awe inspiring genre. However, it is not an genre that is not without it's own criticisms like any other. Of course not speaking of Spalding (nor have I listened to her interviews) but, the genre is plagued by grandstanding, cockiness, self prestige. Not only from the artist but, also from it's very own fans and critics.
Taken from the article:
"Likewise, her bass playing redefines that instrument through her penchant for lyrical invention. During the press party for Chamber Music Society, I remember overhearing one critic complain to another, "Well, she's no Paul Chambers," referring to the muscular Detroit bassist on some of Miles Davis' most famous albums.
"That really ticks me off," Carrington responds, knowing there's no way to compete with dead legends. "Bringing a more feminine aesthetic into the music is mandatory at this point. Because Paul Chambers didn't get around the instrument the way she does. So she's not digging in as hard; it gives her a kind of fleeting emotion that is beautiful. He did not sound like a butterfly. And if you're saying that the bass cannot sound like a butterfly, that's bulls***."
The best way for any artist to make an impact is to simply keep doing what they do and cater to their audience. Trying to force a square peg through a round hole usually causes more problems then the ones it intends to solve.
Jazz is a immersive and awe inspiring genre. However, it is not an genre that is not without it's own criticisms like any other. Of course not speaking of Spalding (nor have I listened to her interviews) but, the genre is plagued by grandstanding, cockiness, self prestige. Not only from the artist but, also from it's very own fans and critics.
Taken from the article:
"Likewise, her bass playing redefines that instrument through her penchant for lyrical invention. During the press party for Chamber Music Society, I remember overhearing one critic complain to another, "Well, she's no Paul Chambers," referring to the muscular Detroit bassist on some of Miles Davis' most famous albums.
"That really ticks me off," Carrington responds, knowing there's no way to compete with dead legends. "Bringing a more feminine aesthetic into the music is mandatory at this point. Because Paul Chambers didn't get around the instrument the way she does. So she's not digging in as hard; it gives her a kind of fleeting emotion that is beautiful. He did not sound like a butterfly. And if you're saying that the bass cannot sound like a butterfly, that's bulls***."
The best way for any artist to make an impact is to simply keep doing what they do and cater to their audience. Trying to force a square peg through a round hole usually causes more problems then the ones it intends to solve.
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