Portland, Oregon's Esperanza Spalding's talent manifested itself at a very early age. She learned to play the violin at four, many years later the guitar and in high school she got acquainted with the acoustic bass. It was that big, string instrument she immediately connected with. Soon her dexterity on the bass was noticed and she received a scholarship for the famous Berklee College of Music in Boston. She finished her studies with ease and in the spring of 2005, at the age of 21, she was appointed the school's youngest bass-teacher ever. Spalding has experimented with many styles, including blues, funk, Latin and even hip-hop. Now she's got a hold on New York's jazz scene. The bassist and vocalist plays a lot of gigs with her trio and septet. She also often joins the Joe Lovano's quartet and singer Patti Austin's band. Spalding made her CD debut with the trio album Junjo.
