First Impressions: Portrait by Samara Joy

Much like a Monet painting, jazz singer Samara Joy’s third album, Portrait, blends color and light into an impressionistic hue. Sometimes it sounds pastel, other times vibrant and splashy (though never flashy). Her butter-smooth vocals glide along the melodic breeze, rising high one moment and dipping low the next, while her band’s glossy, thick and consistent jams spread like clouds across the sky.

The eight-track set, co-produced by Joy and trumpeter Brian Lynch, was recorded at New Jersey’s legendary Rudy Van Gelder studios over three days. Joining her is her touring band, aka Donavan Austin (trombone), Jason Charos (trumpet), David Mason (alto saxophone; flute), Kendric McCallister (tenor saxophone), Felix Moseholm (bass), Connor Rohrer (piano), and Evan Sherman (drums). 

The album opens with “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” first sung by my late mother-in-law’s favorite singer, Tony Martin, in the 1941 musical Ziegfeld Girl. “Reincarnation of a Lovebird,” which follows, opens with Joy alone at the microphone; while the melody belongs to Mingus, the lyrics are hers—she crafted them to accompany the music. To say that it’s spellbinding is an understatement.

“Autumn Nocturne” captures the nuances of fall, while “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True” matches an original (written by Joy and McCallister) to the Sun Ra classic. It explores the frets and fills that come from jumping onto the trampoline that is fame. “A Fool in Love (Is Called a Clown)” may sound like a long-forgotten entry in the Great American Songbook, but is in fact a new tune from jazz musician Donovan Austin.

Her lively rendition of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “No More Blues” is sure to be a showstopper in concert, while the affecting “Now and Then (In Remembrance of…)” adds her lyrics to a tune written by her late mentor Barry Harris. The album ends on a high with the upbeat celebration of love, “Day by Day,” which was first performed by Frank Sinatra many moons ago. It’s the unabashed cry of a romantic.

To return to the Monet comparison: much like his museum pieces, Portrait is a musical painting one is sure to linger over. It ably balances the old with the new, the pastel with the splashy, and features Joy’s effervescent vocals throughout. Highly recommended.

The track list: