The question keeps being raised, “If jazz is really so unpopular, is there anyone out there who can save it?” Well, just like Queen Deborah rescued Israel at its time of weakness, the young lioness Esperanza Spalding showed the filled to the brim El Rey theatre how to package America’s classical music so that the audience isn’t just aging Baby Boomers or Berklee Music School graduates.
Instead of performing her acoustic jazz pieces which attract the traditional jazz fans, Spalding used the concert as a means of presenting her upcoming album in the form of a play, mixing dialogue and action between the funky backbeat of soulful improvisations within the context of concise songs.
Dressed up like a nerdy student, but playing with an astonishing authority, Spalding and her backup team of a male guitarist, female guitarist/vocalist, male vocalist and drummer delivered a wonderful and attractive mix of sounds and sites. Songs such as “Good Lava” and “The One” had hints of James Brown funk, yet delivered with Spalding’s Joni Mitchell-toned pure voice. Cute vignettes which went from high school graduation to Spalding donning a Raggedy Anne outfit kept the evening exciting, while the band did Hendrix-inspired power trio work after the former on “Ebony and Ivy” and Spalding displayed her strong but sensitive solo chops on “Farewell Dolly” on the latter. Jazzy R&B showed the tight rhythm work of the trio on “Noble Nobles” while swinging modern jazz guitar solos were strutted out on “Funk The Bear.” Hints of Fats Waller were displayed as Spalding smoked a stogey at the piano for a striding “Tambien” and the evening climaxed with a celebration during the closing “Unconditional Love.”
Through it all, Spalding displayed a mix of playful quirkiness and Hendrix swagger, and along with the mix of Fabulous Flames funk and Art Ensemble of Chicago visual presentation, she and her band was able to connect both musically and viscerally with a crowd that was mixed in age, race, culture and attitude. She could well be jazz’s brightest hope, which is fitting for her name.
The evening opened with Scandinavian vocalist Laleh, who used her voice and drum with her keyboard accompanist to display a clever mix of poetry and indie folk tunes.