Samara Joy

With swinging and inventive accompaniment from master guitarist Pasquale Grasso and his trio, featuring bassist Ari Roland and drummer Kenny Washington, jazz vocal wonder Samara Joy takes charge of a wide assortment of standards on an emphatic debut release. Rich in tone, poised in performance, Joy looks to heroes such as Sarah Vaughan for inspiration but finds her own path through this well-chosen material (including a classic Vaughan staple, “Lover Man [Oh Where Can You Be?]”) in an intimate and impeccably tight small-group context. The verse to Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” is demanding for any singer, so Joy opens with it. From there, it’s on to uptempo burners (“Let’s Dream in the Moonlight”), ballads (“It Only Happens Once”), a waltz (“If You’d Stay the Way I Dream”) and other refreshingly non-obvious picks, delivered with interpretive command and deep swing. Joy’s chemistry with Grasso could not be better: the duo finale, “But Beautiful”, is the clearest instance, or the bossa-ish “Only a Moment Ago” with guitar and bass but no drums. Grasso manages the feat of playing a ton of stuff behind Joy without overwhelming her, tailoring every elaborate phrase and unexpected harmonic turn to the benefit of her aesthetic.