I fear that I won't get better and that I won't have time to practice. To be called a "jazz musician" - it's a big responsibility. Esperanza Spalding More Quotes by Esperanza Spalding More Quotes From Esperanza Spalding My name means 'hope' in Spanish and it's a name I want to live up to. Esperanza Spalding names want mean There is an assumption that if you're young and pretty, you will get all these opportunities that are way beyond your musical foundation. Esperanza Spalding foundation musical opportunity I did grow up in a rough neighborhood in Portland, which is an abstract concept for anybody who's rolled through Portland because now it looks like a TV set, literally. Esperanza Spalding portland growing-up looks It's weird sometimes to have people not see me or see what I do. Esperanza Spalding sometimes people For what I can imagine and feel and think and hear, I can hardly do anything on the acoustic bass. It used to be just pure frustration of imagining so much more and being able to get to a certain level of execution. Esperanza Spalding frustration levels thinking You don't have to be fearless to do anything; you can be scared out of your mind. I fear that I won't get better and that I won't have time to practice. To be called a 'jazz musician' - it's a big responsibility. Esperanza Spalding you fear mind time Your sanity is harder to get back than money or contacts. You are the magic. You are the art. You can't lose that. Esperanza Spalding you magic money art I just want to say, if you're going crazy, take a break. I felt overwhelmed by stuff that wasn't satisfying me, things I was supposed to do for my career. I stopped and said, 'Let me get back to the basics.' Esperanza Spalding back me you crazy I was exposed to many kinds of music including rock and disco, classical and folk, Midtown and Miles Davis, Sly Stone and David Bowie. Esperanza Spalding rock stone disco music I put my mother through a lot when I was a teenager. I used to lie a lot. Now, we talk all the time. Esperanza Spalding lie talk mother time I grew up with an incredibly loving and supportive family that gave me the impression there were a lot of options for me out there. Esperanza Spalding loving me impression family I don't watch TV, I don't spend time on the Internet, and I don't party much. I don't text very much, either. Esperanza Spalding text internet party time I think there's so much negative influence on children in school settings. It becomes learning by rote to pass a test. It's not contextualized. Esperanza Spalding learning children negative school There's enough time in the day: If you go to bed at 10 and start your day at 6, there's a lot you can do in a day! Esperanza Spalding day start you time My earliest attempts at writing were when I was seven. I would sit at the piano and transcribe the songs I heard on the radio. I'd change little things in the music and write different lyrics. Esperanza Spalding little-things music change writing On nights that I'm feeling a need to stretch personally and artistically, I tend to put together outfits that are very quirky, mismatched and over-the-top eclectic. Esperanza Spalding need feeling quirky together Genre boundaries are good for marketing but they all but disappear when you're a player. Esperanza Spalding good you disappear marketing Anything I do has to have integrity, so if you just want to make music, it's not difficult finding support. The hard part for a publicist or manager is making a star. Esperanza Spalding you support music integrity I always say that the problem with jazz accessibility is not the content of the music, it's people's ability to access it. Esperanza Spalding always music problem people It's a pity that if someone who has a really profoundly potent art to share chooses not to or doesn't fit into this very thin slice of what's desirable and marketable, chances are the public will never get a chance to hear what they're doing. Esperanza Spalding someone never chance art
