Photo by Johann Sauty

This past December, Esperanza Spalding was one of the artists to open for Prince during the opening stretch of his Welcome 2 America tour. Now on Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7 she will do so once again. Spalding who bested Justin Bieber to take the honors in the Best New Artist Grammy category this past year, will be joined by a crackling band that also features saxophonist Joe Lovano, keyboard player Raymond Angry, guitarist Jef Lee Johnson and drummer Terri Lynne Carrington. Spalding’s most recent studio release, is Chamber Music Society. Her self-penned Relix article “Push and Pull” which outlines “the natural evolution of all art forms,” can be found here.