Esperanza Spalding

A favorite of President Obama, who asked her to play at his Nobel Peace Prize concert in 2009, jazz singer and bassist Esperanza Spalding surprised everyone when she won a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011. The award-winning album, 2010’s Chamber Music Society, featured gorgeous ballads and gentle jazz tunes. On last year’s Radio Music Society, she loosens up some. She delves into R&B on the opening track, “Radio Song,” and lets her funk flag fly on “Black Gold.” Spalding, who opened last year’s Tri-C Jazz Fest, has devoted most of her set to material from Radio Music Society but she’s been throwing in the occasional cover (on this tour, Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It” seems to be a favorite) to keep things fresh. (Jeff Niesel)