If “esperanza” is the Spanish word for hope, then bassist, vocalist and composer Esperanza Spalding could not have been given a more fitting name at birth. The 23-year-old prodigy is blessed with uncanny instrumental chops, a multi-lingual voice that is part angel and part siren, and a natural beauty that borders on the hypnotic.

“Those following jazz ought to keep an ear on the bassist Esperanza Spalding, who is going about things her own way…The Esperanza Spalding experience is light, melodic, joyful, always sort of minimalist and airborne.” —Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

“She is an irresistible performer.” —The Seattle Times