Culture Vulture: Overseeing Culture so you don’t have to: ESPERANZA SPALDING

‘Don’t worry if we fall in love, we will never touch the ground, just fall into a dream…’ As the conclusive mellifluous tones of Esperanza Spalding’s final number floated gently up into the vaults of the Fernán Gómez theatre in Madrid last Wednesday night, the enamoured crowd withdrew even further into its somnolent daze. Esperanza Spalding, the Oregon multi-instrumentalist currently receiving great critical acclaim in the jazz world came to Madrid to participate in the city’s 27th annual festival dedicated to the beret-embracing, cigar-loving  genre of music.

Tipped-off as one of the hottest acts on the bill, Spalding did not disappoint. The underground semicircular theatre of Fernán Gómez was abuzz with jaunty jazzers impatiently anticipating the prodigious double bassist. The audience had not underestimated the importance of the occasion on the jazz calendar and the donning of at least one item of one’s most wacky 90s clothing reminiscent of Dead Poets Society’s Charlie Dalton, AKA Rwanda, was abundant. When the lights went down however, the attention turned from the self-intrigued jazzers to a small, boyish figure quietly entering the stage. The figure took its place in a conveniently-located arm-chair, kicked off its shoes and poured itself a glass of wine. A state of night time tranquillity washed over the audience. After some time sipping peacefully on her red wine, Spalding picks up her double bass.

Spalding being the tiny creature she is, a delightfully androgynous mixture of a young Michael Jackson and a prime-time Jimi Hendrix, the bass towers over her and threatens to flatten her if ever she were to let it go. She never does of course, and holds it as if it were weightless, curving over it to reach the higher notes and letting her afrotic curls roam free. She performs some solo numbers and lets the audience know what she’s vocally made of. A sweet sound between Billie Holliday and Sarah Vaughan complements the entranced mood of the audience.

Her accompanying band join her on stage, and delight us with sudden interspersions into a full-on instrumental section following Esperanza’s solo sweet tones. Some great moments follow; the duo scat section involving Spalding, her backing vocalist Leala Cyr and a running bass line, the euphoria of the moments when all the band are ‘on’, the sudden switch between solo Spalding and full chorus of cello, violin, backing vocals, piano and drums.

The most memorable of these magical moments however occurs during the encore, with the warm Spanish crowd demanding ‘Otra! Otra!’ and from behind the curtain out comes only the drummer. He picks up his snare drum determinedly, and, just when the crowd think he’s just packing away early, Esperanza joins him centre stage and the two complete a Frank Sinatra-esque amorous jaunt with only a snare drum and double bass to accompany them. After this enchanting moment, the crowd is ready to roar. Spalding however, plays it ever so coolly, and takes us back into the tranquillity of the concert’s opening moments, sweetly departing with a rendition of her ‘Don’t worry if we fall in love, we will never touch the ground…’ It’s a bit too late for that Spalding! The audience is head-over-heels, saccharine-sweet faces filling the mass exodus following the final, lingering melody. In short, watch out for this balmy jazzster, she has all the grit and determination to take her mellifluous melodies to heaven and back!