Over time, music and art have remained constant staples in our culture.
They’ve provided a necessary foundation that has allowed us to make, receive and ultimately enjoy different forms of expression. It’s hard to even imagine a world without such rich contributions. Fortunately, we continue to celebrate those that have been bold enough to step out and share their talent with the world. From various awards programs to talent shows and from concerts to galleries, artists are continually supported and admired for their achievements.
Enter the famous series entitled “In Performance At The White House.”
This program started in 1978, and has given the presidents and first ladies an opportunity to invite various acts to come and perform at our nation’s most famous home.
Acts spanning every type of performance art and genre have come to put on their best in the capital.
In 2016, the White House and the Obamas invited a variety of artists to come and celebrate a special evening in the East Wing.
The celebration? One of sheer American creativity.
The Obamas were excited to host an “all-star music tribute celebrating the cultural resonance of art and literature in unique American musical forms.” The night included everything from musical performances to poetry readings.
The performances commemorated a very special anniversary.
That night, it was the 50th anniversary of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities act.
It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Jonhson in 1965:
“The act called for the creation of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as separate, independent agencies, the culmination of a movement calling for the federal government to invest in culture.”
Among these celebratory acts? The incredible jazz bassist and cellist Esperanza Spalding.
In 2011, this wonderous jazz musician beat out both Justin Bieber and Drake for the Grammy award for Best New Artist.
Not only that, she became the first jazz artist to win this very award.
She has gone on to collaborate with some of the biggest names in music, including Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Bobby McFerrin and Prince.
And she’s on a mission to bring jazz to the masses!
Her White House performance in 2016 was no exception.
Just one watch, and it’s plain to see how she carries and mesmerizes an entire roomful of people so effortlessly.
Since being posted, this video has been watched over three million times with 47,000 likes.
With this, we can confidently say that her soulful delivery is widely adored.
In the beginning of the video, she enters the stage, glowing, to resounding applause.
She doesn’t hesitate to pick her instrument up before offering a sweet introduction. Spalding declares that classical music may have been born in Europe, but in America, jazz is our version of classical music.
“Where blues was born in the farms and fields of the south, jazz is urban cool.”
She continues:
“So I’m gonna sing a song for you, that has been sung for more than six decades. And it has a message for hope. Originally this was a song during the Great Depression, when the end was not in sight. So I hope you enjoy, and I hope you try living on the Sunny Side of the Street.”
Watch Spalding take breaths away with this smooth rendition of “Sunny Side of the Street”:
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