Home » Jazz Articles » In Pictures » Samara Joy at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center

Samara Joy at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center

By Mark Robbins
June 4, 2023
View read count

When

Samara Joy

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Samara Joy performed last June at the Vocal Jazz Summit in Virginia Beach she was fairly new on the scene and even though she could deliver a song like a seasoned pro she was a little shy interacting with the audience. What a difference one year and two Grammys make. The singer, who appeared at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center in Newport News, VA to headline the Ella Fitzgerald Festival, was an instant hit with an audience (276 sold out house) eager to hear the young singing sensation. Walking out on the stage to a standing ovation Joy was relaxed and started talking with the audience right away. Joy is no diva, just a down to earth girl who owned the crowd even before she sang the first song.

Ella Fitzgerald

vocals
1917 - 1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald, "The First Lady of Song," was born in Newport News in 1917 just a few blocks from the Walter Reed School which is now the cultural center. In the festivals 25 year history such artists as

Jane Monheit

vocals
b.1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Jane Monheit,

Dee Dee Bridgewater

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Dee Dee Bridgewater,

Patti Austin

vocals
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Patti Austin, Diane Reeves,

Aretha Franklin

vocals
1942 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Aretha Franklin and so many more have headlined the festival.

Joy shared the stage with pianist

Luther Allison

piano
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Luther Allison, bassist Michael Migliore and drummer

Evan Sherman

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Sherman. The trio was there to support the singer and other than a few piano solos they held back and let Joy shine. Borrowing from the jazz greats the evening was a huge success for Joy and her audience. It's just a matter of time before the names Fitzgerald, Vaughan, Holiday and Joy will be said in the same breath.

Following are photos from the evening. View Slideshow

PREVIOUS / NEXT

New Releases, Birthday Celebrations ...
< Previous

After|Life
Next >

Samara Joy Concerts

Sep 26 Fri

Samara Joy

Patricia Reser Center For The Arts
Beaverton, OR

Sep 29 Mon

Samara Joy

Moore Theatre
Seattle, WA

Oct 1 Wed

Samara Joy

Humphrey's By the Bay
San Diego, CA

Oct 2 Thu

Samara Joy

The Granada Theatre
Santa Barbara, CA

Oct 18 Sat

Samara Joy

Odeon Theatre
Hobart, Australia

Oct 26 Sun

Samara Joy

Hamer Hall
Melbourne, Australia

Nov 11 Tue

An Evening With Samara Joy

Miller Theater
Philadelphia, PA

Nov 12 Wed

Samara Joy

Warner Theatre
Washington, DC

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.