Samara Joy - Samara Joy

Samara Joy is the self-titled debut album by vocalist Samara Joy, released on Whirlwind Recordings in 2021. Recorded with guitarist Pasquale Grasso, bassist Ari Roland, and drummer Kenny Washington, the album features nine tracks drawn from the jazz standard repertoire and lesser-known gems, including "But Beautiful," "Moonglow," "Everything Happens to Me," and Sam Jones's "Del Sasser." Joy, who won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 while still a student at SUNY Purchase, sings with a rich, mature contralto that draws comparisons to Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. Grasso's guitar playing — rooted in the bebop tradition of Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney — provides spare, harmonically sophisticated accompaniment in a duo and trio format that places Joy's voice at the center of every track. The absence of piano and horns gives the album an intimate, unplugged quality. Several tracks are duo performances with Grasso alone, further emphasizing the conversational interplay between voice and guitar. The album introduced Joy to a wider audience and preceded her Verve Records debut Linger Awhile, which would win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2023 and establish her as one of the most acclaimed young jazz vocalists of her generation.