When jazz singer of the moment Samara Joy appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2022, she took to the smaller outdoor stage, in a time slot before the masses had arrived. All in her presence were wowed. When Joy returned to the festival in September, she had leapt meteorically to the main arena stage, with thousands of adoring fans already hip to her rising-star status. Aside from her remarkable musical presence, Joy’s stage-side manner felt more assured and even lived in — especially for a 24-year-old artist.
What a difference a year made.
Joy had already been garnering lavish praise from the jazz scene and beyond for her powerful but also artful way with jazz in the old-school, traditional sense. Joy’s power and supple phrasing conjures up echoes of jazz chanteuse legends Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as firebrands like Betty Carter (whose song “Tight” became the basis of Joy’s recent Grammy nomination). Modern touches also figure into Joy’s blend. Then came a surprise on Grammy night last February, when she became the rare jazz artist to win the Best New Artist Grammy — on top of Best Vocal Jazz Album — instantly propelling her into a new and wider echelon of public visibility.