Concert Review |

Esperanza Spalding's "Radio Music Society" concert opened with a giant, animated boom box — a playful prop that brought ripples of laughter and set the tone for a warm, intimate evening of jazz, funk, pop and soul.

Performing nearly two hours without intermission Tuesday night at the Paramount Theatre, the Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and bassist was upbeat and engaging.

Sporting an Afro as outgoing as her personality, Spalding had good reason to be in a buoyant mood. Her new album, "Radio Music Society," came out Tuesday. It's the companion album to her acclaimed 2011 release, "Chamber Music Society," and the latest in a series of successes that began with her jump from student to professor at Boston's Berklee College of Music.

Backing her was a redoubtable 11-piece band featuring keyboardist Leo Genovese, trombonist Corey King and trumpeter Ingmar Thomas. Spalding alternated between electric bass and double bass, playing in a fluid, captivating style.

Spalding opened with the inspirational "Hold On Me" from the new album. "Black Gold" offered positive reinforcement for young black males. "Cinnamon Tree," a tune about platonic love, was dedicated to a friend who had struggled to pass her bar exam.

The sprightly, 27-year-old performer often introduced songs with humorous anecdotes about her life, revealing a resilient, unsinkable personality that has helped her overcome challenges and savor her successes.

The band synthesized the sounds of tropical insects for the song "Endangered Species," a Wayne Shorter-Joseph Vitarelli composition to which Spalding added her own lyrics and intricate bass grooves. She dedicated the song to Earth Day and used it as a plug for the Amazon Aid Foundation, a conservation group she supports.

The main set closed with a boisterous, jam-oriented version of the new "Radio Song," about tunes on the radio that grab your attention and don't let go.

Accompanying herself on upright bass, Spalding concluded with a solo encore of "Precious," a tender, confessional ballad.

Gene Stout: gene@genestout.com