12 little spells
| 12 little spells | ||||
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| Studio album by Esperanza Spalding | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Concord Records | |||
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Format (s) |
2LP, CD |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
1:11:31 |
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12 Little Spells is a jazz album by Esperanza Spalding . The recordings were initially released in 2018 as a limited edition double LP with a booklet and a USB stick, and finally on May 19, 2019, in a form expanded by four titles as a compact disc on Concord Records .
background
Where Esperanza Spalding's previous concept album Emily's D + Evolution (2016) revolved around a central figure, she offers twelve songs on the new concept album, each explicitly from a separate body part such as the mouth, eyes, fingers and other esoteric parts such as the “Solar Portal “Are inspired. In 12 Little Spells , Esperanza Spalding explores the realm of magic and healing in her music, wrote Sebastian Maniura. The concept for this album arose out of their willingness to ditch a "musician" label and, in their own words, explore the identity of "what would happen if?" Combined with an introduction to alternative medicine for energy healing called Reiki . This formed the basis for 12 little spells . A Reiki practitioner uses light touch to stimulate the change and balance in the energy fields in and around his client's body. In this sense, every song on the album focuses on a specific body part and aims to give the listener a "tingling ... healing feeling". However, the album should by no means only be understood as an "experiment in relation to the advantages of an alternative healing therapy".
Track list
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- Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells (Concord)
- 12 Little Spells (Esperanza Spalding, orchestration: Edmar Colón) 4:53
- To Tide Us Over (Justin Tyson, Esperanza Spalding) 4:53
- 'Til the Next Full (Justin Tyson, Esperanza Spalding) 4:17
- Thang (Esperanza Spalding) 4:35
- Touch in Mine (Justin Tyson, Esperanza Spalding) 4:53
- The Longing Deep Down (Esperanza Spalding) 4:35
- You Have to Dance (Esperanza Spalding) 3:27
- Now Know (Esperanza Spalding) 4:26
- All Limbs Are (Justin Tyson, Esperanza Spalding) 3:36
- Readying to Rise (Esperanza Spalding) 5:07
- Dancing the Animal (Esperanza Spalding) 5:07
- With Others (Esperanza Spalding) 5:52
- Read We Forget (Justin Tyson, Esperanza Spalding) 5:16
reception
The album received the 2020 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album . The singer received a Grammy nomination for “12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine)” in the category of Best Arrangement of Instruments and Vocals .
Hank Shteamer gave the album four (out of 5) stars in Rolling Stone and wrote, Esperanza Spalding's enthusiasm for bundling her releases into attention-grabbing concepts - like writing and recording an entire album in one uninterrupted 77-hour live stream or getting every song on her new album 12 Little Spells to a different part of the body - could lead one to believe she was trying to hide a flaw in the actual music. But that couldn't be further from the truth, said Shteamer. The Grammy-winning bassist, singer and composer, a former child prodigy, has been completing one of the most fruitful and eye-catching careers in contemporary pop for more than a decade.
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Shteamer compares Spalding's genre-overlapping work with that of artists such as Joni Mitchell , Björk or Prince . Her new album prefers a slightly more dreamy aesthetic (such as the gorgeous, overture-like opener “12 Little Spells”, which is dedicated to the thoracic spine ). But there is still music that makes the head spin with its exquisite inter-genre curiosity, like the mini-opus "The Longing Deep Down" (an ode in which she sings, "It's damn hard to have longing / and at the same time feeling your belonging ”) or“ Dancing the Animal ”, an ultra-mathematical art-funk meditation about the era of the cloud, which was written for the mind / brain. Shteamer sums up: "As with Spalding's previous albums, the conceptual hook of 12 Little Spells only suggests the radically inventive nature of the songs themselves."
In the opinion of Ammar Kalia, who rated the album 3½ stars on Down Beat , 12 Little Spells is a complex and multi-faceted work that works through both Spalding's poetic lyrics and their thematic arrangement. The author criticizes that she stuffs many of the pieces too full of her poetry so that the music can no longer breathe. Of course, Spalding is the star of the record, a child prodigy of polymathy , where ideas seem to pour out of her ears at every turn. She is a thoughtful lyricist, crystal clear singer, groovy bassist and structure-praying pianist. 12 Little Spells drives Spalding further into a pop-influenced space of songwriting , a development that began in the Radio Music Society production in 2012 and in which jazz motifs met hook- emphasized melodies. The recording would likely benefit from giving the audience more time to pick up their message and more space for their music to convey the depth of Spalding's creativity.
Matt Collar gave the album four stars in Allmusic and wrote that Esperanza Spalding was bringing out another highly conceptualized production after Emily's D + Evolution from 2016 with the kaleidoscopic tactile 12 Little Spells . With longtime associate guitarist Matthew Stevens and drummer Justin Tyson, she created profound, complexly constructed songs that are even further removed from the crossover jazz, fusion music and R&B that earned Spalding so much of her previously received recognition.
According to Libby Cudmore, who reviewed the album for Paste, there are moments when songs like “Touch in Mine” (reference to the fingers) and “Ready to Rise” (legs) are a touch too boring, if not downright strenuous stretching. “ There is no such thing as easy listening . It takes a dedication that I sometimes haven't had for sure. But it pays to stick with it in the long term. “Musically, nothing stands in the way of her performance as a singer or bassist. The production is "extremely organic", as if each song unfolded right in front of you instead of being created in a recording studio. This is not dinner jazz, the author summed up, but nobody who picks up an Esperanza Spalding album expects it to be.
Sebastian Maniura (London Jazz News) said this is an interesting concept album that tests the mind and body and explores new ways of creation without the use of psychoactive substances , as Spalding clearly states on her website: "I do not use drugs." It is serious and yet carefree, magical and musical and deserves to be listened to and reflected. There should be something for all types of listeners to enjoy or relate to, regardless of their musical and spiritual beliefs.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Review of Matt Collar's album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ↑ a b Sebastian Maniura: Esperanza Spalding - 12 Little Spells. London Jazz News, May 12, 2019, accessed December 22, 2019 .
- ↑ 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards - Nominations: Best Jazz Vocal Album: 12 Little Spells (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals), 12 Little Spells (Thoracic Spine)
- ↑ Hank Shteamer: Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells. Rolling Stone, September 6, 2019, accessed December 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Ammar Kalia: Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells. Down Beat, September 1, 2019, accessed December 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Libby Cudmore: Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells Review. Paste, December 21, 2018, accessed December 22, 2019 .