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ESPERANZA SPALDING – HAMER HALL – MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL

Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne

Melbourne International Jazz Festival Artistic director Michael Tortoni took to the stage on the final night of the  2024 event to introduce 5 time Grammy Award winner, virtuoso bass player and singer Esperanza Spalding. Beforehand Michael (a bass player himself), announced that the handmade double bass laying on stage about to be played by the gifted American musician was only completed during the week by local luthier Bendedict Puglisi, having commenced its construction a few months earlier. “Professional double basses are usually 100 to 200 year old,” he told us.

With that, Esperanza walked onto stage looking stunning in a white gown and without speaking a word launched straight into a prolonged, perfect c note, the atmospheric intro to Formwela 1 from the album Songwrights Apothecary Lab. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from Spalding tonight, other than a masterful command of the bass. What I wasn’t prepared for was such a pristine, controlled voice, which was both gentle and powerful at the same time. The deep, resonate tone of the locally-made double bass was sensational too.

The first tune then merged seamlessly into Ponta de areia, a Milton Nascimento cover from her 2008 self-titled album. Esperanza’s new album is a collaboration with Milton, titled Milton + Esperanza.

Spalding’s 2019 album 12 Little Spells is an interesting concept, whereby each track is dedicated to a body part. For instance, her 3rd song of the night was the 12 Little Spells album title track, a tune devoted to the Thoracic Spine. “Well congratulations,” she tells us from her seat at the grand piano, “You made it … and wouldn’t have without your spine,” as she continued to discuss the different connotations and under-appreciation of the word spine!

As she vocalised, her two dancers Kaolin Horgon and Tashae Udo reacted accordingly to the music. Interpretive dance is very much an acquired taste and not something I’d choose to snack on but given the theme of ‘body’, and the night’s focus on the 12 Little Spells record, it all made total sense. The theme continued into the next piece too, which featured the dancers’ response to the drum patterns of percussionist Eric Doob, with Spalding offering the occasional flash of bass. With her partially scripted intros and dance component, the evening vibe felt part jazz concert, part Broadway show.

The theme of ‘Dancing The Animal’ from the same album is the ‘mind’ and the song was a heady journey indeed. ‘Thangs’, inspired by hip movement was a more accessible piece on which Esperanza encouraged the audience to sing and move along to and in doing so loosen our hip joints. “Stride grease, for to loosen up your hip joints,” we sang willingly as Spalding joined her two dancers in a little hip shakin’ of their own.

‘I Know You Know’ spotlighted Spalding’s incredible virtuosity. I’ve seen several instructional videos from bass players in which they talk about singing while playing bass and they all discuss the concept of leaving gaps in the playing for the voice. However with Esperanza those theories are immaterial. Her bass playing fingers have a mind of their own, noodling intricate notes up and down the neck of the bass, without a care for vocal entry points. Her voice on the other hand is simultaneously freestyling with incredible feel and emotion. Science would dictate that the vocal and bass notes radiating off the stage should be that of two musicians, yet here was this astounding musicality coming from the one extraordinary mind. And it’s the perceived ease in which she performs which is truly something to behold. Mention must also be made of Matt Stevens and his inventive guitar work on this song, at one point plucking the strings on the headstock near the tuning pegs, then looping it to great effect.  These are all musicians stretching the boundaries and exploring the possibilities of what can be achieved.

Returning to the piano and allowing Matt Stevens to don the electric bass, Formwela 5 enabled Esperanza to demonstrate her incredible vocal range, with her crystalline voice swirling around the sonically enriched chamber of Hamer Hall. Touch in Mine, dedicated to the body’s fingers is such a beautiful song, elevated by the tasteful contributions of Matt Stevens on guitar and the group’s subtle backing vocals.

Ending the main set, Esperanza performed, Black Gold, a song released during black history month in 2012. It’s a song written by Esperanza speaking of African American heritage before slavery. At the time of the song’s release Esperanza commented, “I wanted to address the part of our heritage spanning back to pre-colonial Africa and the elements of Black pride that draw from our connection to our ancestors in their own land. I particularly wanted to create something that spoke to young boys.” Tonight Spalding spoke of the song’s relevance today.

A rousing standing ovation brought Esperanza and band back to the stage. She returned to the piano stool and asked how many jazz musicians were in the audience. Taken aback by the response she exclaimed, “You’re telling me that forty percent of the audience are jazz musicians? Really? Look at me misjudging Melbourne,” she laughed. Esperanza explained that she was going to play a G major triad and we were going to sing over the top of it on a song about being satisfied … which we did. As the audience sung the backing melody (perfectly in tune I must say), Spalding and her singers gradually sashayed off the stage, leaving drums and guitar to back our glorious vocals, ending a truly special evening in a very communal way.

Even if Esperanza’s only talent was bass, she’d still be remarkable. If she was just a vocalist, she’d be incredible. If solo piano was her only skill, she’d be acclaimed too but to be all three is simply absurd. Esperanza  Spalding is a once in a lifetime artist who has to be seen to be believed and thanks to the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, we were able to experience her genius.

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