She’s only at the beginning of her career, but even so, Samara Joy comes across like a well seasoned vet on this latest release. She’s still retaining her youthful and church-bred charm, but she is starting to stretch her boundaries, adding hints of the adventurousness of Abbey Lincoln to her arsenal of Ella and Sassy.
Her band, consisting of Jason Charos/tp, David Mason-Kendric McCallister/sax, Donavan Austin/tb, Connor Rohrer/p, Felix Moseholm/b and Evan Sherman/dr is up to the task, supporting Joy on the breezy bossas “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” and the bouncy “No More Blues”. The reeds get fluffy on a dreamy take of “A Fool In Love (Is Called a Clown)” and the horns get absolutely Ellingtonian on a cozy “Autumn Nocturne”.
But the excitement comes when Joy takes on Charles Mingus’ “Reincarnation Of A Lovebird” with a sweeping solo intro that shoots into the stratosphere before returning to earth for a hip and flexible jazzy blues. What was THAT?!? Likewise, she teams up with Sherman for a dramatic vocal-drum”hit the ground running” on the opening to “Peace Of Mind-Dreams Come True” before swinging easy on the horns. These ideas are from the musical mind and soul of a lady who wants to explore new territories without abandoning her dna. A hint of pleasures to come, with many already here!