Spalding Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Esperanza Spalding is making changes in her management roster…

The 29-year-old part-Mexican Grammy-winning jazz artist has reportedly signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME), according to Billboard.

Spalding joins a roster at WME that also includes jazz stars Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Chris Botti and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Spalding, a jazz bassist, cellist and singer, has released four albums since 2006 and reached both critical and commercial success with 2010’s Chamber Music Society, which topped the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and helped Spalding win the best new artist award over Justin Bieber and Drake at the Grammys in 2011.

Her most recent effort, 2012’s eclectic Radio Music Society, became Spalding’s first top-10 album on the Billboard 200 and went on to win best jazz vocal album at the Grammys.

She records for Heads Up International and is retaining legal representation with Frankfurt Kurnit.

Spalding is currently in Poland where she’s curating and hosting Esperanza+, a large-scale jazz concert during the Solidarity of Arts festival on August 16.

Downs Wins Her First-Ever Grammy Award

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

It’s official… Lila Downs can add “Grammy winner” to her list of accomplishments…

The 44-year-old Mexican American singer-songwriter earned her first gramophone from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 55th Grammy Awards.

Downs, who mixes indigenous Mexican roots music with contemporary sounds, picked up the award at a pre-Grammy telecast event in the Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) category.

Downs’ Pecados y Milagros won in a category often dominated by Mexican regional genres like ranchera and norteño. Besides English and Spanish, Downs sings in indigenous Mexican languages like Mixtec, Zapotec and Nahuatl, an artistic choice that underscores her political involvement in supporting native people’s rights.

But Downs wasn’t the only Hispanic artist to win a Grammy this year…

Miguel, who led the Latino field of Grammy nominees with five nods, won the first gramophone of his career in the Best R&B Song category.

The 27-year-old half-Mexican American singer-songwriter picked up the award for his hit single “Adorn,” which dominated the Billboard charts last year.

Juanes, who performed during Sunday night’s show, won the award for Best Latin Pop Album for his most recent work, MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition. It’s the latest award for the 40-year-old Colombian singer’s highly acclaimed project, which won the Latin Grammy for Album of the Year last November. It’s the second Grammy of Juanes’ career.

Esperanza Spalding, who beat Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for her sophomore project Radio Music Society. She also won in the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) category for “City of Roses” with Thara Memory. It’s the second and third Grammy awards for the 28-year-old part-Mexican singer, who will be starring in the remake of A Star is Born.

Other Latino winners include Quetzal’s Imaginaries for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album and Marlow Rosado y La Riqueña’s Retro for Best Tropical Latin Album.

Miguel: This Year’s Leading Latino Grammy Nominee

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Move over Bruno Mars… There’s a new Grammy darling this awards season, and his name is Miguel.

The 27-year-old half-Mexican American R&B singer/songwriter is this year’s most-nominated Latino artist, picking up five Grammy nods during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night.

Miguel – a previous nominee in 2011 for Best R&B Single – is up for one of the biggest prizes atthe 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Song of the Year for his smash single “Adorn,” which has dominated the Billboard charts. He’s up against Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team,” Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and Fun.’s “We Are Young.”

Miguel’s other nominations include Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance for “Adorn,” Best Urban Contemporary Album for “Kaleidoscope Dream” and Best Rap Song for his collaboration with Wale on “Lotus Flower Bomb.”

Meanwhile, the Latina who beat Justin Bieber for Best New Artist in 2011, Esperanza Spalding, is the other Hispanic artist to receive a whole lotta Grammy love this year.

The 28-year-old part-Hispanic singer is nominated for three awards for her music related to her latest album Radio Music Society: Best Jazz Vocal Album, Best Long Form Video, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).

The 55th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Sunday, February 10, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and air live on CBS from 8:00-11:30 pm ET.

Here’s a look at all the categories featuring a Latino/a artist:

Song of the Year

Ed Sheeran, “The A Team”
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Call Me Maybe”
Miguel, “Adorn”
Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You”)
Fun., “We Are Young

Best R&B Performance

Estelle, “Thank You”
Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Ledisi, “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)”
Luke James,” I Want You”
Miguel, “Adorn”
Usher, “Climax”

Best R&B Song

Miguel Pimentel, songwriter, “Adorn” (Miguel)
Tamia Hill, Claude Kelly & Salaam Remi, songwriters, “Beautiful Surprise” (Tamia)
Benjamin Levin, Rico Love & Tremaine Neverson, songwriters, “Heart Attack” (Trey Songz)
Antonio Dixon, Kenny Edmonds, Anthony Hamilton & Patrick “jQue” Smith, songwriters, “Pray For Me” (Anthony Hamilton)
Darhyl “DJ” Camper, Elle Varner & Andrew “Pop” Wansel, songwriters, “Refill” (Elle Varner)

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Chris Brown, Fortune
Miguel, Kaleidoscope Dream
Frank Ocean, Channel Orange

Best Rap Song

Nasir Jones & Ernest Wilson, songwriters (Patrick Adams, Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer & Paul Leka, songwriters), “Daughters” (Nas)
Olubowale Akintimehin, S. Joseph Dew, Jerrin Howard, Walker Johnson & Miguel Jontel Pimentel, songwriters, “Lotus Flower Bomb” (Wale Featuring Miguel)
Sean Anderson, Tauheed Epps, Stephan Taft, James Thomas, Terrence Thornton & Kanye West, songwriters (Denzie Beagle, Winston Riley & Reggie Williams, songwriters), “Mercy” (Kanye West Featuring Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
Dwayne Carter, Aubrey Graham & Tyler Williams, songwriters, “The Motto” (Drake Featuring Lil’ Wayne)
Shawn Carter, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis & Kanye West, songwriters (W.A. Donaldson, songwriter), “N****s In Paris” (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
Calvin Broadus, Chris Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Peter Hernandez & Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (T. Bluechel, M. Borrow, T. Griffin, K. Jackson, N. Lee & M. Newman, songwriters), “Young, Wild & Free” (Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Featuring Bruno Mars)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Denise Donatelli, Soul Shadows
Kurt Elling, 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project
Al Jarreau (And The Metropole Orkest), Live
Luciana Souza, The Book Of Chet
Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

Gil Evans Project, Centennial: Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans
Bob Mintzer Big Band, For The Moment
Arturo Sandoval, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think Of You)

Best Latin Jazz Album

Chano Domínguez, Flamenco Sketches
The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band, ¡Ritmo!
Bobby Sanabria Big Band, Multiverse
Luciana Souza, Duos III
Manuel Valera New Cuban Express, New Cuban Express

Best Latin Pop Album

Ricardo Arjona, Independiente
Fonseca, Ilusión
Kany Garcia, Kany Garcia
Jesse Y Joy, ¿Con Quién Se Queda El Perro?
Juanes, MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition

Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album

Campo, Campo
Carla Morrison, Déjenme Llorar
Quetzal, Imaginaries
Sistema Bomb, Electro-Jarocho
Ana Tijoux, La Bala

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

Lila Downs, Pecados Y Milagros
Los Cojolites, Sembrando Flores
Los Tucanes De Tijuana, 365 Días
Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea, Oye
Gerardo Ortiz, El Primer Ministro

Best Tropical Latin Album

Raúl Lara Y Sus Soneros, Cubano Soy
Eddie Montalvo, Desde Nueva York A Puerto Rico
Marlow Rosado Y La Riqueña, Retro
Romeo Santos, Formula Vol. 1

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

Thara Memory & Esperanza Spalding, arrangers, “City Of Roses” (Esperanza Spalding)
Gil Evans, arranger, “Look To The Rainbow” (Gil Evans Project and Luciana Souza)
Shelly Berg, arranger, “Out There” (Lorraine Feather)
Vince Mendoza, arranger, “Spain (I Can Recall)” (Al Jarreau And The Metropole Orkest)
Nan Schwartz, arranger, “Wild Is The Wind” (Whitney Claire Kaufman And Andrew Playfoot)

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

András Schiff, Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier
Jory Vinikour, The Complete Harpsichord Works Of Rameau
Claudio Cruz, conductor; Antonio Meneses (Northern Sinfonia), Gál & Elgar: Cello Concertos
Hansjörg Albrecht, Holst: The Planets
Kim Kashkashian, Kurtág & Ligeti: Music For Viola

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Stephen Hartke, composer, Hartke, Stephen: Meanwhile – Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays (Eighth Blackbird)
Tania León, composer, León, Tania: Inura For Voices, Strings & Percussion (Tania León, Son Sonora Voices, DanceBrazil Percussion & Son Sonora Ensemble)
Ugis Praulins, composer, Nightingale (Stephen Layton, Michala Petri & Danish National Vocal Ensemble)
Einojuhani Rautavaara, composer, Rautavaara, Einojuhani: Cello Concerto No. 2 ‘Towards The Horizon’ (Truls Mørk, John Storgårds & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
Steven Stucky, composer; Gene Scheer, librettist, Stucky, Steven: August 4, 1964 (Jaap Van Zweden, Dallas Symphony Chorus & Orchestra)

Best Long Form Music Video

Big Easy Express; Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros & Old Crow Medicine Show
Emmett Malloy, video director; Bryan Ling, Mike Luba & Tim Lynch, video producers
Bring Me Home – Live 2011; Sade
Sophie Muller, video director; Roger Davies, Grant Jue & Sophie Muller, video producers
Radio Music Society, Esperanza Spalding
Pilar Sanz, video director; Esperanza Spalding, video producer
Get Along, Tegan & Sara
Salazar, video director; Nick Blasko, Piers Henwood, Sara Quin & Tegan Quin, video producers
From The Sky Down, U2
Davis Guggenheim, video director; Belisa Balaban, Brian Celler, Davis Guggenheim& Ted Skillman, video producers

Spalding to Replace Beyoncé in “A Star Is Born” Remake?

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She beat out Justin Bieber for the Best New Artist award at the 53rd Grammy Awards… And, now Esperanza Spalding could be replacing Beyoncé on a highly anticipated big screen project.

Following Beyoncé’s recent exit as the lead in the Clint Eastwood-helmed remake of A Star Is Born, the Hollywood legendary actor/director is reportedly looking at the 27-year-old part-Mexican jazz singer to fill in the female lead role.

Beyoncé quit the project due to scheduling issues, which has opened the door to Spalding to sign on for her first-ever big screen role.

However, sources say that until a male lead is signed, no discussions or offers will be made with the female lead.

In the remake to the 1976 musical film, Beyoncé was set to tackle the character which was originally played by Barbra Streisand. When the “Crazy In Love” singer was pregnant with her first child, Warner Bros. Pictures postponed the production, which was expected to begin this past February.

The delay was seen as an opportunity to give the studio more time to find the lead actor. Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Will Smith and most recently Bradley Cooper have been mentioned as the contenders, but no deal has been firmed up of now.

The A Star Is Born remake promises an updated version of a romantic relationship between an alcoholic star on his way out and a young female artist on the rise.

Earlier this year, Spalding, who performed a moving rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” released her follow up album entitled, Radio Music Society.

Spalding Shines in Oscars Tribute Performance

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a tradition during the Oscars telecast to pay respect to Hollywood’s fallen talents… And, Esperanza Spalding’s tear-jerking performance during the “In Memoriam” montage at Sunday’s Academy Awards proved to be fitting tribute.

The 27-year-old part-Mexican singer—who won Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award—sang a restrained and powerful rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” while backed by the Southern California Children’s Choir.

During Spalding’s performance, the names and faces of Hollywood’s lost legends were projected in stark black and white behind her, including Whitney Houston, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Tim Hetherington and Jane Russell. The moving montage closed with a clip of Elizabeth Taylor as “Cleopatra.”

It was a pitch perfect performance that allowed millions around the world to see what Grammy voters had already seen in Spalding last year—a true talent with a glorious voice!

Spalding upcoming studio album Radio Music Society is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2012.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Radio Music Society

Spalding Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME)

Downs Wins Her First-Ever Grammy Award

Miguel: This Year’s Leading Latino Grammy Nominee

Spalding to Replace Beyoncé in “A Star Is Born” Remake?

Spalding Shines in Oscars Tribute Performance