I like to read, and I like dance. I don't dance, but I like to see other people dance. Esperanza Spalding More Quotes by Esperanza Spalding More Quotes From Esperanza Spalding There's the juiciest music that makes me so happy, music that I need on that deserted island when I'm stranded for the rest of my life, and nobody cares that it's there. Esperanza Spalding careislandsneeds My name means 'hope' in Spanish and it's a name I want to live up to. Esperanza Spalding nameswantmean 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 foundationmusicalopportunity 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 portlandgrowing-uplooks It's weird sometimes to have people not see me or see what I do. Esperanza Spalding sometimespeople 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 frustrationlevelsthinking 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 youfearmindtime 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 youmagicmoneyart 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 backmeyoucrazy 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 rockstonediscomusic 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 lietalkmothertime 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 lovingmeimpressionfamily 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 textinternetpartytime 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 learningchildrennegativeschool 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 daystartyoutime 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-thingsmusicchangewriting 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 needfeelingquirkytogether Genre boundaries are good for marketing but they all but disappear when you're a player. Esperanza Spalding goodyoudisappearmarketing 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 yousupportmusicintegrity 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 alwaysmusicproblempeople
