With a vocal range that recalls Sarah Vaughan and an improvisational style that reminds us of Betty Carter, Samara Joy is yet unique and special. This third album (her second was a Grammy winner) reflects her year touring with some very talented young musicians who are also clever arrangers* and composers. The recording was made at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, famous for numerous important jazz issues. The production captures the excitement and, well, joy of her concerts (I attended two). Contemporary in feeling but very much rooted in the adventures of the 1950s and 1960s, she has selected some familiar tunes of yore, as You Stepped Out of A Dream, Day by Day, and Jobim's and Jon Hendrick's No More Blues, but she also has one by bandmate trombonist Donavan Austin* and another by her tenor saxophoinist Kendrick McCallister*. Joy added lyrics to Charles Mingus' Reincarnation of a Lovebird and Barry Harris's Now and Then, in which Kendricks has a splendid solo. Her backing septet creates a gorgeous sound to match her own; credits also to alto saxophone and flutist David Mason*; drummer Evan Sherman*, bassist Felix Moseholm, trumpeter Jason Charos*, and pianist Connor Rohrer. The concluding Day by Day gives opportunity for all to solo. Portrait is a brilliant, outstanding album.

Samara Joy. She has been compared to Sarah Vaughn or Ella Fitzgerald. To my ears she has a great vibrato. I’d like to hear more of the jazz standards from her and to avoid the extremely high octaves. After all, she’s only about 25 years old??? and needs to save her beautiful voice for many more concerts and recordings.

Samara Joy has out did herself in this CD, I had the Pleasure of see her perform the songs on Portrait LIVE at njpac in Newark NJ before the release, the tracks on Portrait are more musical than her past offerings as the songs are arranged by the members of her outstanding band with the number one instrument on the tracks is The Voice of Samara Joy, it’s scary because she continues to get better and better and she has not reached her peak yet. I’m going to say this, I believe she is the greatest Female Vocalist of All Times.

This amazing young woman just continues to get better. Had the pleasure to see her live in October ‘23, and was just blown away. This new album showcases her continued growth, and as such, is her best work so far. Just incredible.

All I have to say is that this album is the best album of her career (so far). The vocals, the instrumentation, the arrangements are on point. This album is so good that I have been playing this CD 📀 in my car for a week. Samara Joy has brought back Jazz Vocals by a female singer to life again. In my opinion she is the best new and existing Jazz Singer that came out of the 21st century. This album should get the Grammy Award for album "Album of The Year" hands down. This album is worth every penny.

This young lady songs like an old soul. On this album she stretches out her voice in ways that sometimes seem not entirely natural. She is a marvel and I am thrilled to hear her sing virtually anything but more straightforward arrangements would be preferred.

Great set of standards sung as good as the can be. Would love to see her branch out of the great American songbook for some song choices

El producto es excepcional!!

Samara nous apporte la Joie ! Grandiose interprétation de Réincarnation of Lovebird Mingus doit en être très heureux.

Una voce non comune

Une démonstration de virtuosité vocale. Le tape. à l’œil n’est jamais émouvant. Les effets de manche ne suffisent pas… De plus prise de son beaucoup trop colorée avec des résonances des stridences sur les crêtes d’aigus. Désagréable à l’écoute.

Samara Joy is a classy singer. I bought this after the review in Jazzwise. Great songs (I didn't know any of them) and a first rate band. If you like female jazz vocal, this is a must-have album.

Today's best jazz singer by far