Esperanza Spalding – review

Barbican, LondonThe double bass has never been exactly fashionable, but if the overnight stardom of the 26-year-old Esperanza Spalding is any indication, schoolgirls will soon be queueing up to demand why their music department does not have one. The slender American and her bulky bass make an incongruously graceful partnership, and she couples virtuoso jazz and classical techniques on the instrument to a light but evocative voice. The combination earned Spalding a best newcomer award at the Gr...

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