Another mighty feather in the ever-filling cap of jazz vocalist Samara Joy – one of the brightest talents to come onto the scene in the past decade or so, and an artist who's not only got an incredible voice, but who also really knows how to sing "jazz" as well! Joy's got a level of expressiveness and inflection that we'd rank right up there with Sarah Vaughn, Carmen Lundy, or Betty Carter at their best – but she's also not copying any sort of retro modes here, as her phrasing is very much her own – and her choice of material is way fresher than just a set packed full of standards – as she takes on tunes by Charles Mingus and Barry Harris, and also delivers a new tune of her own as well! The group is great – a combo with Jason Charos on trumpet, David Mason on alto and flute, Kendric McCallister on tenor, and Donavan Austin on trombone – each of whom did some of the arrangements – on titles that include "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird", "A Fool In Love", "Now & Then", "No More Blues", "Peace Of Mind/Dreams Come True", and "Autumn Nocturne". CD

Another mighty feather in the ever-filling cap of jazz vocalist Samara Joy – one of the brightest talents to come onto the scene in the past decade or so, and an artist who's not only got an incredible voice, but who also really knows how to sing "jazz" as well! Joy's got a level of expressiveness and inflection that we'd rank right up there with Sarah Vaughn, Carmen Lundy, or Betty Carter at their best – but she's also not copying any sort of retro modes here, as her phrasing is very much her own – and her choice of material is way fresher than just a set packed full of standards – as she takes on tunes by Charles Mingus and Barry Harris, and also delivers a new tune of her own as well! The group is great – a combo with Jason Charos on trumpet, David Mason on alto and flute, Kendric McCallister on tenor, and Donavan Austin on trombone – each of whom did some of the arrangements – on titles that include "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird", "A Fool In Love", "Now & Then", "No More Blues", "Peace Of Mind/Dreams Come True", and "Autumn Nocturne". 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

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

Includes a cover profile on Rudy Van Gelder, articles on Samara Joy and Brad Mehldau, record reviews, interviews, the magazine's own Japan Jazz Awards, a 2022 disc guide, and more. Book