Talking with Esperanza Spalding

Photo by Sandrine Lee

We're back from the Monterey Jazz Festival in time to see Esperanza Spalding, who's at the Dakota for two nights beginning tonight.

I had the chance to interview her for MinnPost on August 23, before she started her current Chamber Music Society tour. Here's the link if you're so inclined.

Her second set tonight was enthralling. For an encore, she did a solo bass-and-voice version of "The Midnight Sun." A sample of Johnny Mercer's luscious lyrics:

Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice,
Warmer than the summer night.
The clouds were like an alabaster palace,
Rising to a snowy height.
Each star its own Aurora Borealis,
Suddenly you held me tight;
I could see the midnight sun.