Esperanza Spalding dazzles in Costa Mesa

Esperanza Spalding is one of those game-changing musical phenomena who break into the spotlight so suddenly that their name is initially more famous than their music, even among the cognoscenti.

That will change very soon. The petite 25-year-old jazz bassist and singer, who played the first of four performances at Costa Mesa's Samueli Theater on Friday at 7:30 p.m., is the real deal: a unique, quirky and utterly mesmerizing talent who is likely to become a familiar name in the coming years – and not only to jazz fans, we hope.

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