Description
Every so often a new vocalist blows everyone on the jazz scene away with their distinctive style, charm, and dexterity. Samara Joy is that new voice that’s giving new purpose to the music. Last year, the 22-year-old put out her self-titled album debut; since graduating from college, she has also performed in Switzerland and Paris.
Touring internationally has sharpened her skills. There’s plenty of evidence of that musical maturation on her new recording Linger Awhile, a nostalgic stroll through well-known and obscure standards. One trait she carries on from her last album is the mixing of swing and sweet tunes.
Samara Joy’s buttery vocals melt across the warm grooves of whatever song she’s singing, conjuring the greats of yore while simultaneously forging her own effervescent style. Small wonder, then, that in 2019 at age 20, she won the esteemed Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Linger Awhile, her sumptuous sophomore set and Verve debut, should hopefully introduce her to an even wider audience than jazz aficionados. It features a mix of old and slightly new tunes, with the latter the result of “vocalese”—aka adding lyrics to a jazz improvisation.
