Bassist, vocalist, and composer Esperanza Spalding's eponymous release on Heads Up International is touted on the Concord Label Group's website as her debut recording. This is patently untrue. In fact, if it weren't for her actual debut , 2006's Junjo on Spain's Ayva imprint, this set may not have existed at all. Junjo showcased Spalding as a leader, playing in an acoustic trio with pianist Aruan Ortiz and drummer Francisco Mela singing wordlessly over bubbling Latin and Afro-Cuban melodies and rhythms. Though written by Brazilian legend Milton Nasciemento and featuring backing vocalists and additional percussion to the bass, piano, and drum format, Esperanza's opening track, "Ponta De Areia" resembles the sound and M.O. of the earlier album quite a bit. This is on purpose, as Spalding simply nods to one of the many places she comes from musically. The track, with its languid, nursery rhyme-like melody and beautifully understated instrumental accompaniment, gently opens the listener to an aural experience that's quite unlike anything else out there. Spalding sings in three languages here — English, Spanish, and Portuguese — she plays bass, does the arranging, and acts as her own producer on this wildly diverse and exceptionally well-executed set. How does a 23-year-old get all that control? Simple: she's a prodigy; she is a seasoned session player (she's worked with Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, and Patti Austin to name just three), and she's a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music.
Track List:
1. Ponta de Areia
2. I Know You Know
3. Fall In
4. I Adore You
5. Cuerpo y Alma (Body and Soul)
6. She Got to You
7. Precious
8. Mela
9. Love In Time
10. Espera
11. If That's True
12. Samba Em Preludio

Hailed as a prodigy on the acoustic double bass within months of first touching the instrument as a 15-year-old, Esperanza Spalding has emerged as a fine jazz bassist, but has also distinguished herself playing blues, funk, hip-hop, pop fusion, and Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles as well. Born in Portland, OR in 1984, Spalding was not well served by the public school system and soon dropped out of classes to be home-schooled. Returning to the public school system at 15, she encountered her first...
Track List:
01. Radio Song
02. Cinnamon Tree
03. Crowned & Kissed
04. Land of the Free
05. Black Gold (With Algebra Blessett)
06. I Can’t Help It (feat. Joe Lovano)
07. Hold On Me
08. Vague Suspicions
09. Endangered Species
10. Let Her
11. City of Roses
12. Smile Like That

Sultry vocalist and pianist Norah Jones developed her unique blend of jazz and traditional vocal pop with hints of bluesy country and contemporary folk due in large part to her unique upbringing. Born March 30, 1979, in New York City, the daughter of Ravi Shankar quietly grew up in Texas with her mother. While she always found the music of Billie Holiday and Bill Evans both intriguing and comforting,...
Track List:
01 Happy Pills

British jazz vocalist Malia was born into a family of mixed African and English heritage in the small East African country of Malawi, which borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. Growing up with only the two local radio stations (one in the native tongue, the other in English) and her father's Beatles-heavy record collection, Malia was not exposed to a large variety of music. She did not develop the intense desire to sing and create music until her early teens, when for political reasons her family...
Track List:
01. My Baby Just Cares for Me
02. Don’t Explain
03. Baltimore
04. Feeling Good
05. Four Women
06. I Love You Porgy
07. If You Go Away
08. I Put a Spell On You
09. Keeper of the Flame
10. He Ain’t Comin’ Home No More
11. Marriage Is for Old Folks
12. Wild Is the Wind
13. That’s All I Want from You
http://itunes.apple.com/lu/album/black-orchid/id491813161

Genres: Jazz, Music, Crossover Jazz, Electronic, Smooth Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Released: Jan 31, 2012
Alto saxophonist Candy Dulfer was brought into the limelight by Prince, who introduced her to the world via his video for "Partyman." Raised in a family heavily involved in the Dutch jazz scene, Dulfer is the daughter of Hans Dulfer, a respected jazz tenor saxophonist. Thanks to him, she listened to and studied the recordings of Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, and Dexter Gordon. He also introduced her to the stage early in life. When she was 12, she began playing in a band with Rosa King, an American...
Track List:
01. Stop All That Noise
02. Crazy
03. Hey Now
04. Flame
05. Good Music
06. Complic8ted Lives
07. Calling Next Door
08. Electric Blue
09. In or Out
10. I Do
11. Rocket, Rocket
12. No End
13. Open Up
14. Please Don’t Stop
15. Too Close
Digital Booklet - Crazy
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/crazy/id486993920

Genres: Instrumental, Music, Jazz
Released: Jan 27, 2012
Track List:
01. Galliano
02. Les Histoires Macabres Du Monde
03. Madro
04. Balkan Boogie
05. Mezzo
06. Pimienta Verde
07. Blanche Fleur
08. Trip to Skye
09. Ode to a Drop Out
10. Churros
11. Sanlucar
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/ode/id490123128