I won't claim to be the biggest jazz or classical music fan. The extent of my knowledge is fostered by the likes of popular jazz vocalists Norah Jones and Diana Krall mixed with Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn in order to pay homage to the genre. Which is probably why the success of Esperanza Spalding comes at a great time; the jazz bassist and vocalist is bringing the genre to a whole new generation of listeners that may have no appreciation for jazz. And rightly so; Spalding has accomplished more in her 25 years than most individuals or musicians will accomplish in their lifetime. She has performed at the White House at the request of President Barack Obama numerous times and if you have seen her perform her rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" you've witnessed her smooth vocals and flawless musicianship. If you haven't, Spalding's latest album Chamber Music Society is a great starting point to understand the instrumentality of jazz coupled with Spalding's soaring vocals.

Chamber Music Society merges classical music and jazz with a string trio and a small group of musicians that fuse with Spalding's artistry allowing her to shine and blend in all at the same time. While Spalding's previous albums showcased the styles that mostly influenced her from Brazilian music (she can sing in three languages) to hip-hop, Chamber Music Society is more focused on fusing classical music and jazz. My personal favorites are "Little Fly", a William Blake poem, Spalding's soprano highlights with bass and string trio, "Wild Is The Wind", a David Bowie cover that Spalding makes all her own, and "Winter Sun", a uptempo, radio-friendly jazz groove. Take note: this is a jazz fusion album so most of the tracks are longer than 5 minutes, however, this only highlights the great instrumentation of the songs. Spalding is a smart and talented musician considered a jazz prodigy and Chamber Music Society doesn't fail to live up to her hype.