We start the week celebrating the small band music of Charles Mingus. Esperanza Spalding has a new album and we hear both studio and live versions of her contemporary jazz. South African trumpet phenom, Hugh Masekela expertly covers “soul” music and other standards to wrap up our week.
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My initial impression as I listened to Spalding’s new album was that she had found a way to utilize all of her musical training and diverse proclivities in the service of producing radio-friendly music that is not dumbed down to a back beat (or boom bap) with cameos by rappers and/or pop vocalists. Indeed, what immediately came to mind was “art” music in the broadest sense of “art.”
You can hear touches of classical chamber music mashed up next to Broadway show tunes, supper club/lounge lyrics followed and/or preceded by conscious protest music, classic R&B co-existing with big band jazz. Spalding’s album is an attractive quilt of musical genres unified by her attempt to use everything that’s part of her musical tastes within the context of creating music that one could possibly hear on the radio in any major metropolitan area worldwide.
Esperanza is on a major label and since winning last year’s Grammy award currently has a major marketing push behind her new album. Undoubtedly there is a tremendous amount of pressure on her to be a commercial success. Fortunately, rather than crumble or stumble and produce trendy pap, Spalding’s response is to shine diamond bright.
—kalamu ya salaam