How do you bring the African Diaspora to the Grammys?Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento's contrasting tones make a perfect team on Milton + esperanza, a collection of covers, duets, and original songs that have earned the pair a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Today, Brittany and Esperanza get into the years-long intergenerational friendship behind the music, and the Brazilian influences on the album. Support public media and receive ad-free listening & bonus. Join NPR+ today.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. This is one of those interviews where my parents are going to be like, oh. You talk to her. That's right, Mom and Dad. Today's guest is somebody you know I have been a fan of for a long time.
Back in 2010, I bought the CD of Chamber Music Society. It's been that long. I bought the CD. I went to a Borders. Oh, my gosh. Whoa.
Flashback.
Flashback. Today's guest is jazz singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Esperanza Spalding. She's a 2025 Grammy Award nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album, but she's no stranger to that golden statue. You might remember her as the winner of the 2011 Grammy for Best New Artist, beating out the likes of Florence and the Machine, Mumford & Sons, Drake, and Justin Bieber.
I take this honor to heart so sincerely, and I'll do my damnedest to make a whole lot of great music for all of you.
You are actually our third Grammy Best New Artist winner to appear on this show behind EGOT winner John Legend and one of your fellow nominees this year for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Samara Joy. Luscious company. I wonder, though, when it comes to the Best New Artists... Is there a club? A group chat?
A secret society? Anything that we need to know about? I mean, if there is, I'm not in it. As far as I know. As far as...
Since then, Esperanza has become a music luminary with a sound that defies genres. She's performed with legends like Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle and was personally selected by Barack Obama to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies. Her latest project combines her distinctive sound with that of Brazilian jazz icon Milton Nascimento on their latest album, Milton and Esperanza.
The album is truly the best of both worlds. A love letter to the style and sound that has made Nascimento a jazz icon over the past half century. And the complex experimental melodies Esperanza has made her signature over the past two decades. How did each of you first learn of the other person?
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