Review: THE JAZZ STYLIST OF THE 'INCOMPARABLE SAMARA JOY' at Belk Theater

Tonight, I witnessed a lyrical angel.  Seriously, I witnessed the melodic reincarnation of some of the Greats…Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald, Leontyne Price, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday and even a touch of Nina Simone (all the likes of which I heard played constantly on the victrola throughout my childhood), wrapped up in gifted package of one person…Samara Joy.  This was my first opportunity witnessing the jazz stylist of Samara, and I tell you, she left me wanting more and more of her seamless, perfectly-pitched voice.  Every note was breathtaking.  Every crescendo lifted me to another level of musical bliss. I sat there looking "geekish" with a smile plastered on my face.  In the words of one of my favorite 70s R&B bands, the Ohio Players, “Heaven Must Be Like This”.   And if I could steal a phrase from the great Jackie Wilson and craft it as my own, “Your Voice Keep Lifting Me Higher, Than I Ever Been Lifted Before.”  From the moment she graced the stage of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center’s Belk Theater, until her encore performance of, “Guess Who I Saw Today”, Samara Joy exemplified pristine stardom.  No wonder she was nominated as and won Best New Artist and Best Jazz Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards. 

By no means is music “new” to Samara Joy Mclendon, she comes from a musical family.  Her father, Antonio “Tony” Mclendon, is a singer and bass guitarist who toured with one of the world’s greatest gospel singers/composer, the incomparable Andre Crouch.   Her grandmother, Ruth Mclendon was a gospel singer and co-founder with her husband of the choir entitled “The Savettes” and her grandfather, Elder Goldwire Mclendon was deemed the “oldest contestant” on the premiere gospel music competition broadcast, Sunday Best, which aired on BET network. 

I would remise if I didn’t give special recognition to Samara’s band.  My goodness... pure instrumental magnificence!  Some of my favorite tunes were:  Three Little Words with Donovan Austin on trombone and David Mason on alto saxophone; Now And Then, a song composed by Dr. Barry Harris, educator/jazz pianist; Worry Later composed by the second most recorded jazz composer next to Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk; A Fool In Love with Donovan Austin; Left Alone, a song the great Billie Holiday co-wrote yet never recorded, and of course Guess Who I Saw Today, written and song by my favorite jazz singer of all times, Nancy Wilson. 

Samara Joy is such a class act.  She sang every song with the passion and “old-school-wisdom” of the greatest jazz songstresses of the past.  It was if they were standing on stage with her inspiring her to “give us the best that she had”.  And that she did!  After delivering a spectacular 90-minutes of nonstop singing without an intermission, Samara met, greeted, and snapped photos with a long line of fans in the lobby.   

There are not enough positive adjectives in the dictionary to describe how impressed I was with this sensational artist.  “Awesome” limits the range of greatness she exudes.  After the concert, I immediately downloaded “Samara Joy Essentials” from Apple Music to my smartphone.

I cannot wait until the next opportunity when Samara Joy returns to the Queen City, I will definitely be there front and center.   This may have been my first time seeing her in person, but it will not be my last.   I am a “Samara Joy” fan for life.

For more information on events at  Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, visit website:  http://www.blumenthalarts.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.