Before we get to that, a little background on Spalding: The Portland native is what some might call a prodigy; a multi-instrumentalist playing gigs in blues clubs by her teens, enrolled in the music program at Portland State University by 16, graduated from and hired by the Berklee College of Music as a bass instructor by 20, personally selected by President Barack Obama to play the Nobel Peace Prize Concert by 25, and of course, a four-time Grammy Award winner (including Best New Artist). Though she's best known as a jazz bassist, Spalding's music embodies elements of pop, soul, and hip-hop. She sings, too, in multiple languages—to give you an idea of the pace of Spalding's mind and talent.
Now, back to that October night. Spalding was in bed after a gig with her trio (Geri Allen and Terri Lyne Carrington), watching a band on Late Show with David Letterman, when something clicked.
"I started singing demos [of songs] I was hearing, like descriptions: 'sneaker cherry prophet'—words that don't mean anything, but the sensation you feel from their combination gives you a taste that then you try to find through the medium of a whole song," Spalding says. "It just kept unpacking from there."
