(Reprinted from December 2024 issue of New York City Jazz Record. Photo: Tyler Jamieson Moulton)
In the five years since Samara Joy won the Sarah Vaughan vocal competition, her career has continued to expand exponentially, with multiple Grammy nods (including a nomination this year for 2023's A Joyful Holiday), popular television performances, and legions of followers on social media. Not content to rest on her laurels, however, Samara continues to explore budding ideas and tackle new skills as an artist. Her latest record, Portrait (Verve), marks her debut not only as a big band frontwoman, but as a lyricist and songwriter. Unsurprisingly, she excels at all three.
You can hear how naturally she settles into these new roles on tracks like “You Stepped Out Of A Dream”, as she gently scats along with the swinging horn section; “Reincarnation Of A Lovebird”, where her self-penned poetry enhances Charles Mingus’ romantic melody; and “Peace Of Mind”, the forceful tune she co-wrote with saxophonist Kendric McCallister. You can also hear how she has grown as a vocalist, allowing herself both to wail like the gospel singer she is or command like the opera singer she could be, as suits the interpretation of the song. Samara will bring all this confidence to bear when she joins her talented family for their annual Christmas concertizing, this year in A Joyful Holiday at the gorgeous United Palace (Dec. 13).
Trumpeter/singer Bria Skonberg recalls the charm of New Orleans on What It Means (Cellar Music Group), a shining collection of classic jazz tunes that inspired her during her teen years as a musician-in-training. She shows off her now-expert chops when she scats on Amos Lee’s “Sweet Pea”, grooves on Louis Armstrong’s “Cornet Chop Suey” and solos seductively on Sidney Bechet’s “Petite Fleur” (on trumpet). She also contributes two upbeat originals to the record; in the writing of “In The House” and “Elbow Bump”, Skonberg reveals the strong musicianship that underpins all of her vocal lines. She’ll join her quartet for Jingle Bell Swing at Kupferberg Center for the Arts (Dec. 7); the all-seasonal program includes her Louis Armstrong-inspired version of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas”—her 2017 track that to date has garnered more than 1.5 million listens on Spotify.
This past October, Jane Monheit launched her 13th album and first eponymous release—10 songs from composers as different as Stephen Sondheim, Ivan Lins/ Vitor Martins and Billy Joel. What ties these disparate sources together is Monheit’s expert vocalism; from the exposed feeling of “Not A Day Goes By” to the sincere joy of “My Brazil” to the simple melodicism of “And So It Goes”, Monheit nails every landing. This esteemed, ever-touring singer brings The Merriest—a redux of her 2022 holiday album by that name—to Birdland (Dec. 10-14).
Ground-breaking vocalist/composer Sara Serpa uses spoken word, improvisational vocals, and daring compositions to tell a raft of personal stories about the challenge of moving to the United States from her native Portugal on Encounters and Collisions (Biophilia Records). By the end of the song cycle (18 tracks), one comes to greater understanding—and empathy—for those who stand between cultures and competing world views. Serpa officially introduces the album at Roulette (Dec. 9).
Life celebrations: Rebecca Kilgore’s final album, A Little Taste (Kari-On), honors Dave Frishberg, the jazz songwriter and musical humorist, with crisp, clean takes on songs like “Peel Me A Grape” and “Snowbound”. With more than 50 records in her discography, Kilgore retired from performing after being diagnosed with Lewy body dementia earlier this year.
Recorded one year to the day before she passed, Eva Cassidy’s Walkin' After Midnight (Blix Street Records) captures the singer/guitarist at her bluesy best on several of the tunes from her usual set list— “Wade In The Water” and “Summertime” among them. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of her too-soon, still-mourned death.
Seasonal Greetings: Allan Harris presents A Nat King Cole Christmas at Smoke (Dec. 4) and hits Smalls with his quintet the following week (Dec. 8). Svetlana Shmulyian fronts The New York Collective in New York Holidays at Blue Note (Dec. 14). Duchess, with Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner, and Melissa Stylianou, turn out Harmony For The Holiday at Birdland Theater (Dec. 19), followed by Emilie-Claire Barlow in Winter Wonderland the next night (Dec. 20-22). Finally, Laila Biali conjures all the snowy beauty of the Canadian Rockies on her November release, Wintersongs (Empress Music Group).