Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza Spalding plays the bass and Esperanza Spalding plays jazz. Growing up in a the King neighborhood of Porland, Oregon might not seem like the most likely place for a brilliant jazz musician to come from, but thanks to her mother (who was a touring singer herself) and her fascination with the skill and brilliance of famed musician Yo-Yo Ma Spalding was able to sculpt herself into a serious and talented musician.

Her musical influences are as tangled as her cultural heritage which includes the Welsh, Spanish, Native American and African American traditions that she picked up from her parents.

Spalding currently teaches and performs jazz across the US.