Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 108

is. I was thinking about that the other day, and in a way, the wish for the hope of Jazz has really
come true. You can go to almost any city in the country and there’s going to be a Jazz study
program for the high school students. There’s no doubt that people consider it a true and high
art form, and it’s acknowledged around the world. Anywhere in the world you go there will
be people making sure that Jazz music is alive and thriving. I think the music is OK, and that
Jazz is doing really good on a lot of levels. Also, you need to understand that this music has
a right to evolve, and go through its phases of popularity like any other music.
Jake: I think you have truly struck a chord with a lot of the younger players out there, and in
that sense, any final words of wisdom you might have to share?
Esperanza: For students of this music, the most important thing I would have to say is do it
because you love it, and because it’s fun. And if the way that you’re learning it and the way
that you’re experiencing it is not fun, then try to make the way you study it fun. It’s really a
drag to get into this music and then be expected to do it by rote or some way that you find
unsatisfying to you personally. I can certainly say that every time I felt stagnant in the music
or discouraged is probably because I was trying to approach the music in a way that it didn’t
speak to me, or resonate with the way I live, or learn, or love music. And if I can find the space
to look at the problem, and look at what I wanted to learn and really create, I would want that
approach to revolve around what’s important to me. Then the music comes alive, and I enjoy
it, and I make much more progress, and that’s what the music should be about. When we find
our own approach to learning it, we’re bringing and breathing new life into the music, and it
deserves that. There’s such power, and beauty, and depth in Jazz music, and it only comes
alive when each of us gives it our own breath, and our own voice.
Visit online at www.esperanzaspalding.com