Esperanza Spalding: Noble Nobles | NPR MUSIC FRONT ROW

Fulfilling the performance-art vision of her spirit-muse Emily, Esperanza Spalding played the music of her forthcoming album Emily's D+Evolution in concert at BRIC House in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Thursday, March 3. WFUV and NPR Music presented a live video webstream of the performance as part of the First Listen Live series.
Emily's D+Evolution marks a new sound for Spalding. Here, she picks up the electric bass (and occasionally the piano) and surrounds herself with a power trio of electric guitar and drums - a louder, proggier, weirder funk-rock direction for the jazz-trained bassist and vocalist. It's part of a broad theatrical vision for the character Emily, inspired by broad philosophical musings on resourcefulness and the nature of progress. On stage, she was surrounded by choreographed routines, a marionette closet and three backup singers dressed all in yellow.
"Whether you want to see it as devolution and evolution, and the place where they co-exist without one diminishing the other, or you could look at it like barely having the tools that you need, but having to move forward, and having to keep moving," Spalding told NPR. "What do you do when you don't really have all the tools that you need, but you have to survive? And you need to grow and expand?"
Credits:
Director: Mito Habe-Evans; Producers: Saidah Blount, Patrick Jarenwattananon, Sarah Wardrop/WFUV; Stage Director: Will Weigler; Videographers: Kara Frame, Nickolai Hammar, Cameron Robert, A.J. Wilhelm; Audio Engineer: Jim O’Hara/WFUV; Post-Production Editor: Nickolai Hammar; Event Production Assistant: Erin Conlon; Special Thanks: BRIC House Ballroom; Executive Director: Anya Grundmann;

[@winifredmarecheau5109]

Outstanding musical composition.

[@jmarty1000]

This song is pure magic. I wish I could describe why I love it so much. It evokes the best feelings of joy that all great art does so very mysteriously. I am still working to come to an understanding of the message of this song, in the context of revisionist history and cultural marxism.

[@daniellerussell9876]

This song is about colonization in the US. "come suckle mama's wet maid" refers to how Black women were forced to take care of their captor's children. "all cargo on Jesus was sold" refers to enslaved Africans, ships would have Christian names a lot of times." Manifest (destiny) and lavish, God wants him to have this" refers to how colonizers justified their atrocities against Africans and indigenous people using religion. "without a doubt believe his ends are noble so the savage means are deleted from the scenes so we can believe that we are noble nobles, what a savage myth" - Patriotism in our country, being proud to be "American," because being American is "noble" and our founding fathers were "noble," and what they did to get America is "noble" it because 'Merica! People would rather not think of their founding fathers as the savages they were.

[@lcampise]

I was going to post my own comment when I saw this one... yes, same. I just don't know what it is either about Noble Nobles that reaches in me so deeply. And this particular recording takes me right back to this tour when I saw them in San Francisco. Unbelievably, when I saw they weren't coming through Texas, I already had a biz trip planned to San Francisco, and lo and behold, they were playing 2 blocks from my hotel the Sunday was arriving. The show was magic -- I watched with my elbow on the stage. One of those unforgettables.

[@xvrit]

Pretty much anything she approaches is breathless. I was an instant fan after "little fly". She's absolutely phenomenal.

[@Clown90125]

A quite remarkable song. Esperanza Spalding is a true genius. This is pure gold.

[@diegus012]

Great live performance of one of my favorite cuts in Emily's D+ Evolution!

[@jaquelinegillisfrancine2923]

Great is not the right word. While Esperanza Spalding is singing and improvising without losing a tune and still doing moral support for the crew, the back vocals are managing to lose the tone even though they're doing nothing but singing

[@thiagofarias2351]

What a powerfull melody, arrangement and lyrics. Im absolutelly impressed

[@freedomcadet3745]

YAS ESPIE!!! You better rock that twist out and that crown and speak these truths!!!!!

[@akalauerbach9705]

Outstanding🤘🏽♥️💯

[@maazvdo]

Really good! Thanks for posting, NPR Music .

[@jamiemoffett7951]

This arrangement is pure genius.

[@grillosaint]

beatiful melody

[@holleyeugene]

She is a revelation!

[@izadora]

just amazing, no words!

[@gstephenson9442]

Absolute genius

[@naqismith5688]

This performance doesn't do the actual song justice at all

[@janwhitehouse3373]

I agree to a point, but the backing musicians and vocalists were definitely hobbled by these guys: Audio Engineer: Jim O’Hara/WFUV; Post-Production Editor: Nickolai Hammar. It's like audio production hadn't had a conversation with the stage direction - or they hadn't paid attention when they should have been blocking out the stage movement. And sweet lord, couldn't they have made sure the D'Angelico was tuned?

[@d3a1990]

What time signature are the verses in?

[@PashmereCalace]

D. Snelson 4/4

[@JoshNpublicgplus]

It sounds like it alternates between 3/4 and 5/4 at times.

[@max_435]

5 years late but it’s a bar of 6 then a bar of 10 but technically 4/4

[@J.B.-piano]

I'm learning this song. I've listened to it at least 20 times, even slowing it down to count measures/changes accurately. I've looked at every way to notate it, and the simplest form is 4/4, with the section that starts with the lyric "manifest and lavish" in 6/4.

[@TheLucassmachado]

didn't liked the backing vocals. But, great music.

[@Phyoomz]

+Lucas Machado lol, the backing vocals sound MUCH better on the album

[@TheLucassmachado]

+Phyoomz thnks. Generaly i didnt like live concerts.

[@mbsnyderc]

You do know that music is a preforming art?recording is but an imitation of what it should be.

[@Phyoomz]

+mbsnyderc Techno and digital "recording artists" would respectfully disagree with the box in which you place music.

[@mbsnyderc]

Phyoomz That's why i don't listen to them.It's garbage to me.i don't waste my time on it,but there not making records for people like me.

[@innocencetube]

Music incredible as always. live presentation VERY "community college" !! Kind of shocked me. not bad... just odd.

[@TheLucassmachado]

BR HUEHUE. ê

[@jokosi]

The band is not on her level...

[@nancydevolder4433]

This is not copying Joni Mitchell, it's cloning Joni Mitchell.

[@jmarty1000]

You failed to mention that her 5-string fretless bass playing is a Jaco Pastorius ripoff. I'm happy. I hope you're happy too.

[@JoshNpublicgplus]

It's inspired by Joni Mitchell. That's all.

[@lednerg]

Shut up you nerds, lol.

[@AnarcadiaStudios]

even with an ounce of musical knowledge or theory you'd know that this isn't that similar to either of those artists

[@jameshansen8684]

@@AnarcadiaStudios agreed! Musically far from both, especially Joni. For some people it’s as basic as ‘her voice sounds like Joni’s’ and boom suddenly it’s a ‘rip off’