I did grow up in a rough neighborhood in Portland, which is an abstract concept for anybody who's rolled through Portland because now it looks like a TV set, literally. — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
I think there's so much negative influence on children in school settings. It becomes learning by rote to pass a test. It's not contextualized. — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
On nights that I'm feeling a need to stretch personally and artistically, I tend to put together outfits that are very quirky, mismatched and… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
Genre boundaries are good for marketing but they all but disappear when you're a player. — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
I like to read, and I like dance. I don't dance, but I like to see other people dance. — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
The music that I make is pretty sincere; it's from my heart and I love it, and what just happened is more people have… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
When I read, you know, a rough neighborhood of Portland, I'm like - what? - they didn't have kombucha bars there? — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
There's the juiciest music that makes me so happy, music that I need on that deserted island when I'm stranded for the rest of… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
For what I can imagine and feel and think and hear, I can hardly do anything on the acoustic bass. It used to be… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
I love people, and I love to be with people and to make music with people, but my natural state is to revert back… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
I just think music is so intrinsically linked with images in the culture that we live in that youll be hard-pressed to have an… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
I grew up with an incredibly loving and supportive family that gave me the impression there were a lot of options for me out… — Esperanza Spalding Copy Share Image
