Samara Joy is a rare jazz singer – the sort who manages to have ties to the past, but also really bring so much of her own spirit to the music – not subtle inflections on the tunes, but instead this really personal style that has her absorbing older tracks and turning them into something new – and serving up some great vocal styles of her own! In other words, this isn't a retro-styled record of standard jazz remakes – as Samara's her own sort of singer, right from the start – working with no-nonsense small combo instrumentation that features Pasquale Grasso on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Linger Awhile", "Sweet Pumpkin", "Social Call", "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Nostalgia", and "Can't Get Out Of This Mood". CD

Samara Joy is a rare jazz singer – the sort who manages to have ties to the past, but also really bring so much of her own spirit to the music – not subtle inflections on the tunes, but instead this really personal style that has her absorbing older tracks and turning them into something new – and serving up some great vocal styles of her own! In other words, this isn't a retro-styled record of standard jazz remakes – as Samara's her own sort of singer, right from the start – working with no-nonsense small combo instrumentation that features Pasquale Grasso on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Linger Awhile", "Sweet Pumpkin", "Social Call", "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Nostalgia", and "Can't Get Out Of This Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

Samara Joy is a rare jazz singer – the sort who manages to have ties to the past, but also really bring so much of her own spirit to the music – not subtle inflections on the tunes, but instead this really personal style that has her absorbing older tracks and turning them into something new – and serving up some great vocal styles of her own! In other words, this isn't a retro-styled record of standard jazz remakes – as Samara's her own sort of singer, right from the start – working with no-nonsense small combo instrumentation that features Pasquale Grasso on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Linger Awhile", "Sweet Pumpkin", "Social Call", "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Nostalgia", and "Can't Get Out Of This Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

An instant Christmas classic from Samara Joy – a Holiday set that easily matches the strength of her non-seasonal albums from a vocal perspective, but which also brings a fresh sort of energy to the genre as well! The style is mostly jazz, by there's some occasional flourishes that hint at more traditional Christmas modes – balanced nicely throughout, with just the right sort of instrumental shift to make each track really stand out! The record's a short one – only six songs in all – but the quality level is more than enough to keep this one coming out year after year, every December – thanks to tunes that include "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me", "Warm In December", "O Holy Night", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and a bonus live duet on "Christmas Song" with Antonio McLendon. CD

An instant Christmas classic from Samara Joy – a Holiday set that easily matches the strength of her non-seasonal albums from a vocal perspective, but which also brings a fresh sort of energy to the genre as well! The style is mostly jazz, by there's some occasional flourishes that hint at more traditional Christmas modes – balanced nicely throughout, with just the right sort of instrumental shift to make each track really stand out! The record's a short one – only six songs in all – but the quality level is more than enough to keep this one coming out year after year, every December – thanks to tunes that include "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me", "Warm In December", "O Holy Night", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", and a bonus live duet on "Christmas Song" with Antonio McLendon. LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant debut as a leader from a young pianist we hope we'll be hearing plenty from in years to come – a great soloist in his own right, and a musician who's also got experience in the worlds of soul and hip hop as well! Yet don't let those ties make you think that Julius Rodriguez is one to hide behind remix gimmicks or catchy vocals – as he's first and foremost a great pianist, as you'll hear on the leadoff track, which is a straight trio number – a cut that gets things right, and sets the stage for all the wonderful musical changes that flow across the album – still mostly with work by a core trio, with Julius on both piano and Fender Rhodes – but also featuring guest stops from musicians Giveton Gelin on trumpet and Morgan Guerin on soprano sax – and occasional vocals from singers Samara Joy, Nick Hakim, and Mariah Cameron. Given Rodriguez's range at such a young age, and his skill at both composing and performing, he's off to a hell of a start – on titles that include "Where Grace Abounds", "Blues At The Barn", "Elegy", "Gift Of The Moon", "Two Way Street", "All I Do", and "In Heaven". CD