Samara Joy Makes her “Glowing, Auspicious” (NPR) Verve Records Debut with Linger Awhile

September 16, 2022: Once-in-a-generation vocalist Samara Joy “creates the standards of today” (Jazz Night in America) with her “glowing, auspicious” (NPR) Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile. Out today, the 10-song collection finds the Bronx native modernizing classic songs with “youthful exuberance” (WRTI) and “instincts that can’t be taught” (Consequence), sometimes singing original lyrics using the melodies of famous instrumental solos, a style known as vocalese. Recorded at Sear Sound in New York City by Chris Allen and produced by Matt Pierson, Linger Awhile features exemplary musicianship by Pasquale Grasso (guitar), Ben Paterson (piano), David Wong (double bass), and Kenny Washington (drums). The tracklist is comprised of beloved songs by George Gershwin (“Someone To Watch Over Me”) and Thelonious Monk (“Round Midnight”), and also includes Samara’s original lyrics on Fats Navarro’s “Nostalgia (The Day I knew).” While paying homage to those who came before her, Samara is introducing a new audience to standards several times older than she is through her timeless, irresistible sound.

Listen to Linger Awhile, out today on Verve Records, here: https://SamaraJoy.lnk.to/LingerAwhile 

Samara Joy has unveiled the official music video for “Guess Who I Say Today,” a spine-tingling rendition of the 1960 Nancy Wilson classic. Watch the new video, directed by Sontenish Myers, here: https://samarajoy.lnk.to/GWISTMV

At just 22 years old, Samara Joy has dazzled crowds at jazz clubs, festivals, and cultural institutions across the globe, garnered millions of likes on TikTok, made her national television debut with a performance on the Today Show, and earned glowing public endorsements from the likes of Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and many others. Samara comes from a strong musical heritage and has relished the process of digging through music history from an early age. She fell in love with jazz while attending Fordham High School for the Arts, where she performed regularly with the jazz band and eventually won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. Samara took home the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition prize while earning her degree from SUNY Purchase’s jazz studies program. Now, a year after graduating college as the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar, Samara has added a new credential to her impressive resume: Verve recording artist. 

Throughout the remainder of 2022, Samara will perform across North America and Europe. This holiday season, she’ll join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as a special guest on their Big Band Holidays tour, followed by a handful of her own holiday shows the week before Christmas. Full touring schedule below.

Linger Awhile Tracklist

01. Can't Get Out of This Mood (3:42)

02. Guess Who I Saw Today (4:09)

03. Nostalgia (The Day I Knew) (3:31)

04. Sweet Pumpkin (3:55)

05. Misty (4:54)

06. Social Call (4:30)

07. I'm Confessin' That I Love You(5:04)

08. Linger Awhile (1:47)

09. 'Round Midnight (5:42)

10. Someone To Watch Over Me feat. Pasquale Grasso (4:04)

Additional Praise for Linger Awhile:

“A young vocalist creating the standards of today… embodying vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, while creating a distinct style of her own." - NPR Jazz Night in America

“It sounds like the greats reached out and touched her vocal cords and anointed her as the next in line.” - NPR/WBUR Here & Now

“Her instincts are the kind that can’t be taught… [Samara] is able to capture the mood of the great vocalists that preceded her, channeling Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald with her rich, textured takes on a sentimental genre.” - Consequence

“Strikingly warm vocal timbre, keen phrasing, and superb song selection… youthful exuberance with an old soul.” - WRTI, Fall Preview 2022

“A jazz purist who embodies generations of great Black female singers across idioms.” - Andscape

"Perhaps the love child of Ella Fitzgerald and Jon Hendricks...with a mastery of phrasing and vocalese that made this demanding technique seem easy." - NYC Jazz Record

Samara Joy 2022 Tour Dates

September 16 - Boston, MA - Sculler’s

September 17 - Lake George, NY - Lake George Jazz Festival

September 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - August Wilson

September 20 - Berkeley, CA - Freight & Salvage

September 23 - Monterey, CA - Monterey Jazz Festival

September 24 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (duo w/Pasquale Grasso)

September 26 - New York, NY - The Blue Note

September 28 – Albuquerque, NM – Outpost

September 29 – College Station, TX – Rudder Theatre

September 30 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM

October 1 – Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrorm Center

October 2 – Half Moon Bay, CA – Bach Dancing & Dynamite

October 7 – Azroes, Portugal – Angra Jazz

October 11-12 – Cologne, Germany – King George Jazz Club

October 14 – Toulouse, FR – Jazz Sur Son 31

October 15 – Nancy, FR – Nancy Jazz Pulsations

October 17 – Bordeaux, FR – L’Auditorium de Bordeaux

October 18 – Comeilles-en-Parisis, FR – Theater duComier

October 20 – Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, FR – Culture House

October 21 – Occitanie, FR – Saint-Mamert-du-gard

October 22 – Lisbon, Port – Seixal Jazz Festival

October 24 – Barcelona, Spain – Barcelona Jazz Festival

October 25 – Paris, FR – New Morning

November 3 – Indianapolis, IN – Shelton Auditorium

November 4 – Appleton, WI – Lawrence University

November 6 – Bronx, NY – Wave Hill Public Garden

November 10-13 – Chicago, IL – Jazz Showcase

November 18 – Storrs, CT – Jorgensen PAC

November 20 – Blue Bell, PA – Montgomery County CC

November 27-28 - Minneapolis, MN - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

November 20 - Eau Claire, WI - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 2 – Raleigh, NC – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 3 – York, PA – Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 5 - St. Louis, MO - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 7 - Austin, TX - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 9 - Phoenix, AZ - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 14-18 - New York, NY - Big Band Holidays w/J@LC Orchestra

December 20 – Alexandria, VA – The Birchmere (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Ardmore (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 22 – Arlington, MA – Regent Theater (HOLIDAY SHOW)

December 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Universal Preservation Hall (HOLIDAY SHOW)

Connect with Samara Joy:

Website / TikTok / Instagram / Facebook