Samara Joy, Portrait Review
by Stamish Malcuss
Samara Joy’s Portrait reveals another side of this influential young artist’s ability to transcend the genre boundaries of vocal jazz. Released on October 11, 2024, Portrait is the Grammy-winning singer delivering polished performances and venturing into new artistic terrain with courage and grace. Co-produced by Joy and trumpeter Brian Lynch, this album was recorded at the famed Rudy Van Gelder studios and features a tight-knit octet comprising her touring band. The resulting sound is lush and cinematic, offering both refinement and spontaneity, qualities that have come to define Joy’s vocal style.
Supporting Joy is her stellar touring octet, a group of talented musicians who have been integral to her live performances for the past three years. Trumpeter Jason Charos, alto saxophonist and flutist David Mason, tenor saxophonist Kendric McCallister, trombonist Donavan Austin, pianist Connor Rohrer, bassist Felix Moseholm, and drummer Evan Sherman form the core of this ensemble. Their deep musical chemistry allows for seamless interplay and sensitive support of Joy’s vocal lines. Each instrumentalist contributes richly textured solos and arrangements that result in the album feeling like a true collaboration, where Joy’s voice becomes another instrument in the ensemble, blending into the octet’s lush soundscapes.
The album opens with “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” arranged by Charos. This track does an excellent job of spotlighting Joy’s vocal dexterity as she seamlessly blends scatting, vocalese, and traditional jazz phrasing to deliver a powerful performance. The interplay between her voice and Charos’ trumpet solo is lovely. This is an example of how Joy’s voice becomes an additional instrument, a recurring motif throughout the album. Her vocal power, akin to that legendary Ella Fitzgerald glass-shattering force, is impossible to ignore, as she navigates these classic melodies with vigor and control.
Showing a new side of her artistry is Joy’s reimagining of Charles Mingus’ “Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Pursuit of a Dream).” Here, Joy takes artistic liberties with the composition, crafting a baroque, noirish vocal journey that begins in an unaccompanied a cappella stretch. This rubato introduction displays her voice’s pristine purity, like a sine wave cutting through silence. Her voice then gently cues the band’s entrance, and from that point, the performance soars into an intricate interplay between Joy and her ensemble. Mingus’ original work, a tribute to Charlie Parker, is given the respect it deserves through Joy’s added lyrics and imaginative approach, transforming the piece into a statement of what today’s vocal jazz can achieve.
Joy’s ability to balance the familiar with the unexpected is one of her greatest strengths, especially in well-known standards like “Autumn Nocturne” and “Day By Day,” which receive fresh treatments here, particularly the former, where Joy channels the timeless elegance of Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. Joy’s phrasing is a beautiful mix of pure jazz and soul, as she pushes her vocal lines into unexpected pockets of the rhythm and harmony. The band’s arrangement on “No More Blues” showcases this brilliantly, as Joy powers through Jon Hendricks’ lyrics with a vigor that makes this well-trodden tune feel newly alive. Her velvety and warm voice wraps itself around the notes, anchoring the intricate, high-energy arrangement.
Joy also continues her trend of adding lyrics to well-known jazz compositions. Her take on Barry Harris’ “Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…)” is particularly poignant, as Joy and her band studied with Harris, deepening the personal connection to the song. Her lyrics pay homage to Harris’ legacy and highlight her ability to personalize and reinterpret the jazz canon.
Portrait also features original compositions that Joy brings to the table, with “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True” being a prime example. Co-written with saxophonist Kendric McCallister, the track begins with Joy’s first original song, reflecting the emotional tumult she experienced in the years following her Grammy win. The song is a meditation on anxiety and the overwhelming nature of success, but it also blooms into a radiant expression of hope and ambition. The appended section, a nod to Sun Ra, allows Joy to channel the spirit of Abbey Lincoln in both her range and her emotive delivery, culminating in a roof-raising finale showcasing her voice’s raw, unfiltered power.
The energy of recording at Rudy Van Gelder Studios, with the entire band playing together in a few takes, can be heard and felt on every track. You can hear the chemistry between Joy and her band, which has grown over three years of touring. Joy speaks about the democratic process of working with her musicians, allowing them to contribute to the arrangements while ensuring each piece supports her vocal narrative. This collaborative approach is the album’s backbone as it flows through each performance like a conversation among equals rather than a singer backed by a band.
What makes Portrait so captivating is undeniable the technical proficiency of Joy’s singing. However, the emotional, warm, and inviting depth her voice brings to the recording draws you in, leaving you awestruck with its clarity and control. Her interpretations of standards are fresh, her originals deeply personal, and her choice to incorporate lesser-known works like Mingus’ “Reincarnation of a Lovebird” shows her desire to push the boundaries of what a vocal jazz album can be.
In many ways, Portrait is a culmination of everything Joy has worked toward thus far. It’s the sound of an artist fully coming into her own, confident enough to reimagine the past while embracing her creative musical adventures. Samara Joy’s vocals are as commanding as they are tender, as playful as they are profound, and with Portrait, she firmly establishes herself as a leading voice in contemporary jazz.
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