Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 8427328883368
Label: Ayva Music
Manufacturer: Ayva Music
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Ayva Music
Release Date: 2006-04-18
Studio: Ayva Music

Junjo boasts an unusual format: A young American woman playing bass and singing wordless vocals with the accompaniment of a Cuban pianist and drummer. But 22-year-old Esperanza Spalding, an Oregon native who teaches at Boston's Berklee College of Music, is so confident in her multiple roles (she also produced the album, released on a Spanish label) and the music goes down so easily, all awareness of her band's makeup quickly fades. With their lighter-than-air quality, the tunes sometimes recall early Return to Forever (an association underlined by the inclusion of a Chick Corea composition) and her playing boasts the warm, richly amplified quality favored by many young bassists. But with pianist Aruan Ortiz stretching and shaping the melodies, Junjo is winningly personal. In addition to several originals by Spalding, alone or in collaboration with Ortiz or her drummer, Francisco Mela, it includes a smart and playful reworking of Jimmy Rowles' classic, "The Peacocks." --Lloyd Sachs

Customer Rating:
Summary: talented and easy on the eyes
Comment: I just happened on this artist as a recommendation while buying other music on Amazon. I was instantly a fan from the first song.......

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Letterman is right
Comment: I just saw her on Letterman. As soon as she finished playing, Letterman told Paul Shaffer that she was the "coolest guest we ever had on the show". He was right! What a sound!

---