esperanza spalding, through the depths of her musical journey and cultural heritage, captivated the audience of Blue Note Jazz Club on Tuesday evening during the opening of her artist residency.
Through the strums and taps on her upright bass and electric bass, she swayed her afro through the evening.
“I drove up with my 9-year-old daughter who loves her music,” a Maryland father told amNewYork Metro. “This was a special night for her as she watched spalding command the crowd; it brought tears to my eyes watching her watch Esperanza perform.”
spalding masterfully performed several songs that were important to her, including popular hits such as “Black Gold” from her album “Radio Music Society,” “Thang” from “12 Little Spells,” and “When You Dream,” a collaboration with Milton Nascimento on the album “Milton + Esperanza.”
Throughout the night, spalding brought out two special guests, pianists Fred Hersch and Robert Glasper rom the audience. They improvised songs on the fly.
“Fred is one of those performers that you come out and just play with and he’ll adjust to you,” spalding said.
spalding’s residency at the Blue Note will run through March 2. Tickets are available at bluenotejazz.com.
