Esperanza Spalding — North Sea Jazz Festival, 2011

Full live concert by Esperanza Spalding at the North Sea Jazz Festival on 8 July 2011 at Rotterdam Ahoy, the Netherlands. The Portland-born bassist and singer, named Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards only months earlier, performs the repertoire of Chamber Music Society, a project where jazz converses with chamber music. On stage she is joined by an unusual ensemble of strings, voices and rhythm section: Leala Cyr on backing vocals, Sara Caswell on violin, Olivia de Prato on viola, Jody Redhage on cello, Leonardo Genovese on piano and Richie Barshay on drums. Drawn from the festival’s official archive, this filmed live performance reveals an artist at the crossroads of jazz, folk, world music and classical, who saw herself as a bridge to a new generation of listeners. An ideal full concert for discovering a singular voice of 2010s contemporary jazz. A rare filmed document of the Chamber Music Society period, this Esperanza Spalding live concert at North Sea Jazz 2011 will appeal to jazz connoisseurs and to curious listeners drawn to cross-pollinated music alike, and stands as an ideal entry point into a rich, adventurous discography.