Samara Joy with Pasquale Grasso Trio
Bronx, NY
Grant amount: $15,000
Performances
Blue Strawberry. St. Louis, MO. 12/9/2021
Walton Arts Center. Fayetteville, AR. 12/10/2021
Jazz Vivace. Cincinnatti, OH. 12/16/2021
Bop Stop. Cleveland, OH. 12/17/2021
Cliff Bell's. Detroit, MI. 12/18/2021
About the Artist
Growing up in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, New York, music was a pervasive presence, due to the inspiration of her paternal grandparents, who led the well-known Philadelphia-based gospel group, The Savettes. Her father toured with the renowned Gospel artist Andrae Crouch, and her home was filled with the sounds of many Gospel and R&B artists, including Stevie Wonder, Lalah Hathaway, and Kim Burrell.
Samara attended Fordham High School for the Arts, where she won Best Vocalist at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition, and eventually chose to attend SUNY Purchase, gaining acceptance into their acclaimed jazz program, with a faculty that includes many jazz masters. From this point, she began to pursue her jazz studies with an intense passion, eventually being named the Ella Fitzgerald Scholar and entering and winning the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition.
Although only 21 years old, Samara has already performed in many of the great jazz venues in NYC, including Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, and Mezzrow, in addition to working with jazz greats such as Christian McBride, Pasquale Grasso, Emmet Cohen, Jon Faddis, Cyrus Chestnut, and NEA Jazz Master Dr. Barry Harris. Her self-titled debut recording presents Samara putting her spin on jazz and Great American Songbook standards, backed by the trio of guitar master Pasquale Grasso which also includes Ari Roland (bass) and Keith Balla (drums).
As a new artist, Samara realizes the challenges of booking performances in the middle of the US. This specific tour is expected to reach markets in Fayetteville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Detroit.