After her critically acclaimed performance in 2023, 25-year-old Samara Joy returns to the festival with a new album in tow. Her self-titled debut came out in 2021, and led to her being proclaimed Best New Artist by the leading publication JazzTimes. This was followed by Grammy Awards for both Best Jazz Vocal Album and another Best New Artist award for the successor Linger On. Joy was the second jazz musician to win the prize in the latter category after esperanza spalding. Last year, her third album Portrait was released, which, like its predecessor, came out on the legendary Verve Records. It features Joy singing jazz standards and covers from the Great American Songbook. Her rich, velvety, refined voice has been compared to that of iconic names such as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. This time Joy is coming to the festival with an octet, in which horns also play an key role.
