ESPERANZA SPALDING:

Four-Time Grammy Award winner and first jazz artist to win the Grammy for Best New Artist of the Year

Hailed a prodigy on the acoustic double bass at 15-year-old, Esperanza Spalding has won 4 Grammy awards — including one for Best New Artist in 2011 — making her the first jazz artist to ever win the award.

She has distinguished herself through her impassioned improvisatory performances and unique artistic aesthetic that includes elements of blues, funk, jazz, hip-hop, fusion, soul, R&B, and Brazilian musical traditions. She has toured and played with a host of artists, including Joe Lovano, Patti Austin, Michel Camilo, Charlie Haden, Regina Carter, Pat Metheny, Dave Samuels, and many others.

Spalding has released 5 acclaimed solo albums and appeared on a number of others including: 2008’s Esperanza, which scored big with critics and listeners alike. The album topped Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and remained on it for over 70 weeks. In addition, it became the best-selling album by a new jazz artist internationally.

In 2010 Spalding released Chamber Music Society, comprised of eight originals and three covers — including Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington’s “Wild Is the Wind” and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Inutil Paisagem The album reached number one on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

In addition to her Grammys, she has also received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist, Boston Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year, Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for the Performing Arts, Soul Train Music Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist/Group, Frida Kahlo Award for Innovative Creativity, and ASCAP Foundation Jazz Vanguard Award.

A newly appointed Professor of Practice at Harvard University — her next project “Exposure” will capture the creative process behind creating and recording a full-length album live on the web.

She will be performing with Leni Stern — Five-time winner of Gibson Guitar’s Female Jazz Guitarist of the Year.

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J D SOUTHER:

Actor, Grammy Nominee & Songwriters Hall of Fame Inductee

One of the architects of the Southern California sound, JD Souther has penned countless hits for everyone from the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Roy Orbison, and James Taylor, to Don Henley, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, and Brooks and Dunn. His chart topping songs include “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim Of Love,” “New Kid In Town,” “Best Of My Love,” “How Long,” “The Heart Of The Matter,” “Faithless Love,” “You’re Only Lonely” and “Her Town, Too” which JD co-wrote with James Taylor. The Dixie Chicks 1998 hit “I’ll Take Care of You,” was also written by JD and featured on their album Wide Open Spaces, which sold over 12 million records.

Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, Souther has received countless Grammy nominations, in addition to Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards, 21 ASCAP performance awards, and the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award in 2009.

JD’s latest album Tenderness — produced by Larry Klein, finds Souther stretching musically, balancing his pop and jazz sensibilities, paying particular homage to his earliest influences, the geniuses of the 20th Century Great American Songbook: Cole Porter particularly, as well as the Gershwins, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, Fred Coots, Yip Harburg, and picking up along the way some of the modern grace of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. His classic albums John David Souther, Black Rose and Home by Dawn have been released as expanded reissues (Omnivore Recordings).

As an actor, he has appeared in the TV Shows Thirtysomething and Nashville, among others.

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SPECIAL GUEST: Leni Stern

Leni Stern is a world leader in the jazz tradition of electric guitar playing. For over 20 years she has led critically acclaimed ensembles featuring some of the most notable names in jazz, blues and African music. Stern has also won multiple awards for composition and songwriting. Guitar Player Magazine recently named her one of the 50 Most Sensational Female Guitarists of All-Time in their 50th Anniversary issue.

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Doors Open: 6:30pm, Concert Starts: 7:30pm

Online reservations are required. Proceeds of this concert go to support the artist-in-residence, heroes and other programs at O Museum in The Mansion