This is one of the most exciting pieces of music I’ve heard recently. It’s an excerpt from the four-hour show that Esperanza Spalding hosted at the Solidarity Of Arts 2014 Festival in Gdansk, Poland, on August 16, 2014. The song is Herbie Hancock’s, called ‘Harvest Time,' a composition from 1979, which Esperanza and Herbie re-arranged for this occasion. Being the artistic director of the festival for that year, Esperanza Spalding also got the headlining spot, for which event she wrote a libretto and several of the musicians engaged in the project, including herself, wrote new or re-arranged old compositions. The band in this remarkable performance consists of Herbie Hancock on piano, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Leo Genovese on keyboards, Terri Lyne Carrington on drums and Esperanza Spalding on double bass and vocals. Unfortunately, there is very little information on the net about the music and the event, but among other musicians involved in the project and on stage are: Marcus Miller (who was the artistic director for the same festival the previous year,) Oumou Sangaré and her band, The Pedrito Martinez Group, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra under Clark Rundell, and several legendary Polish musicians and bands.
What is there to say about Esperanza Spalding, except that she is a goddess in a human body. She plays the double bass superbly, sings like an angel, looks gorgeous and shines with positive energy on and off the stage. This is probably her most ambitious project so far, but she managed it flawlessly, leaving us with a performance which I’m sure it will be remembered for a very long time, especially by those who were there. For those who want to watch the whole show, check these links:
http://youtu.be/MIzXiRLJPL8
http://youtu.be/zz4z3c5vx9w
For more information about the music and the performers, click here.
