People are more used to seeing men who are masters at an instrument than women. When people say, “Oh, she plays like a dude,” it’s usually dudes who are the ones saying it. They’re saying, “Oh, she’s as good as us.” Of course, that’s a stupid statement. It’s totally stereotypical to say, “We have an advantage on this, and if anyone else can do it well, it’s only because they’re like us.” I think more men are starting to learn that this attitude is totally hollow and based in imagination. As more women are involved in music, this kind of thing gets said less and less.
By Esperanza Spalding
Photo taken by the brilliant John Edwin Mason at the Cape Town Jazz Festival in South Africa. See his pics and write-up on Esperanza here.
Young saxophonist Hailey Niswanger. She hit the road with Esperanza Spalding on her Radio Music Society tour last year.
I took these shots at CMJ when she played with The Soul Rebels Brass Band.
Esperanza Spalding and Corinne Bailey Rae backstage at the “An Intimate Night of Jazz” event hosted by The David Lynch Foundation at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
(Source: labelleboheme, via love-life-music)
For: Atane
ESPERANZA SPALDING @ Prospect Park Bandshell (w/ GERI ALLEN & FRIENDS)
Recipe:
Several spoons full of talented musicians.
Accompaniment by sang-sters and choir.
Sprinklings of Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter.
A lot of tap dance.
An enthralled crowd.
Result: An evening of magic
More pics to come…
PS: We missed you Lady Aura
