Berkshire Magazine May/June 2024 | Page 22

SAMARA JOY ’ S musical lineage stretches back to her grandparents Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon , both of whom performed with Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes . It runs through her father , a singer , songwriter , and producer who toured with gospel artist Andraé Crouch . Joy sang in church at home in the Bronx and then with the jazz band at Fordham High School for the Arts , with whom she won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center ’ s Essentially Ellington competition . That led to her enrolling in SUNY Purchase ’ s jazz studies program , where she was made an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar . In 2019 , she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition . With support from a GoFundMe campaign , Joy recorded a self-titled album that earned her spots at Manhattan jazz clubs and the Newport Jazz Festival . Joy signed to Verve jazz label and released her 2023 Grammy ® Awardwinning album , Linger Awhile . She also won Best New Artist , only the second jazz musician ever to join that coveted club . ( The first was Esperanza Spalding .) Joy ’ s non-album single , “ Tight ,” earned her third Grammy ® in 2024 for Best Jazz Performance . Joy will make her Berkshire debut with her large ensemble at the Mahaiwe Peforming Arts Center ’ s gala on Thursday , August 1 . From her home in the Bronx , Joy talks about her love for jazz music .

music

B y A n a s t a s i a S t a n m e y e r Jazz Sensation Samara Joy

THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED BERKSHIRE DEBUT OF THIS MULTI-GRAMMY ® WINNER

SAMARA JOY ’ S musical lineage stretches back to her grandparents Elder Goldwire and Ruth McLendon , both of whom performed with Philadelphia gospel group The Savettes . It runs through her father , a singer , songwriter , and producer who toured with gospel artist Andraé Crouch . Joy sang in church at home in the Bronx and then with the jazz band at Fordham High School for the Arts , with whom she won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center ’ s Essentially Ellington competition . That led to her enrolling in SUNY Purchase ’ s jazz studies program , where she was made an Ella Fitzgerald Scholar . In 2019 , she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition . With support from a GoFundMe campaign , Joy recorded a self-titled album that earned her spots at Manhattan jazz clubs and the Newport Jazz Festival . Joy signed to Verve jazz label and released her 2023 Grammy ® Awardwinning album , Linger Awhile . She also won Best New Artist , only the second jazz musician ever to join that coveted club . ( The first was Esperanza Spalding .) Joy ’ s non-album single , “ Tight ,” earned her third Grammy ® in 2024 for Best Jazz Performance . Joy will make her Berkshire debut with her large ensemble at the Mahaiwe Peforming Arts Center ’ s gala on Thursday , August 1 . From her home in the Bronx , Joy talks about her love for jazz music .

MEREDITH TRAUX
What is it about your music that touches so many people and so many generations ? I know people listen for different reasons — maybe for nostalgia sake , or maybe it ' s unfamiliar . Either way , my goal is to connect with people with my voice and with my music and find some sort of common humanity .
Can you tell me about your journey ? I grew up in a family of singers . I knew that I loved singing ; I loved imitating everything that I heard , even if I didn ' t get it the first time or if it didn ' t sound quite like the recording or the musician I was listening to . I absorbed music , listening to things over and over and over again , trying to pinpoint what I loved about it and how I could
express it in my own way . I did that with gospel , with R & B , with soul music , even with instrumental songs . I was introduced to jazz in high school . I learned a couple songs because I enjoyed singing , and I just figured it was another song for me to learn . I used those same songs to audition for school . I didn ’ t audition for many schools because I didn ’ t know whether
or not I could afford to go . I auditioned for three , and SUNY Purchase was the school that I ended up going to . It ’ s not only because it was a great program . It ’ s not just because it was close to home , but because I could get state aid . Quality education and New York being the kind of incubator for jazz , I didn ' t feel like I needed to go abroad or out of state to get a quality
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