The cover of this sizzling new record from Esperanza Spalding (ok, it’s not that new anymore but whatever) reminds me of Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home’… Lounging in her living room, the artist is surrounded by objects that give a clue to what you are about to hear – an upright bass, a viola, a snare drum and a pile of books, the one sitting on the top being an edition from the French publisher, Gallimard. The album is called Chamber Music Society, but this is only chamber music insofar as it’s played by a small group of musicians, namely drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza on bass and vocals, Leo Genovese on piano, plus a small string section. The music is jazz, though in the hands of Esperanza this format is invigorating, melding Cassandra Wilson’s M-Base scat style with a heavy dose of Latin American forms such as tango and violin arrangements occasionally reminiscent of Charles Stepney for Chess. Watch the EPK below, and you can also grab a free MP3. Esperanza’s in the middle of a big world tour, but with no UK dates it’s about time we showed her some love.