Esperanza Spalding

Spalding released her debut albumn, Junjo, in 2006 and continues to revolutionize modern jazz, blending blues, hip-hop, and Brazilian music with her buoyant voice.

A 5-time GRAMMY winner and 11-time nominee, Spalding has previously released 8 full length albums.

Jazz has always been a melting pot of influences and I plan to incorporate them all. I always say that the problem with jazz accessibility is not the content of the music, it's people's ability to access it.
— Esperanza Spalding

In addition to working with her heroes, including Milton Nascimento, she has collaborated with Q-Tip, Janelle Monae, Robert Glasper, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others. As a composer her credits include writing the libretto for the opera Iphigenia with Wayne Shorter, which premiered in 2021. She is also a philanthropist and advocate, and is currently working to create a BIPOC artist sanctuary in her hometown of Portland, OR.