Torrents of rain came down on Confederation Park on the eighth day of the Ottawa Jazz Festival but cleared away just in time for GRAMMY-award winning Samara Joy to take to the stage and captivate devoted and new fans alike.
This year’s 45th edition of Jazzfest is its “boldest program yet” — and it didn’t disappoint with the encompassing warmth and electrifying precision of Joy’s vocals.
“I feel like she’s just so big in jazz that it’s hard not to be introduced to her,” Seren Dubé, a Carleton University music student and festival attendee, said of the singer and composer.
“We get to be inspired as young artists,” added local jazz vocalist and attendee Sam Brown. “We get to see great people come to our town and get us all fired up.”
The downpour drenched the grass during Joy’s soundcheck, with water gushing into drains and thunder rumbling overhead.
But poncho-clad fans took to the front of the field as the rain subsided, welcoming Joy’s set with warm applause as the genre superstar began her set with the charismatic, lamenting tune “A Fool In Love (Is Called A Clown).”
Joy introduced one of her own compositions, “Peace of Mind,” combined with Sun Ra’s “Dreams Come True.”
“It’s the first time I’ve ever really shared how overwhelming the past couple of years have been for me,” Joy told the audience.
The original tune began with explosive flourishes from the band, morphing into an orchestral-sounding tune with odd tempo changes. Flowing like a story, each line was crowned with cymbals and snare brandishes.
Next came a cover of Bud Powell’s ballad, “I’ll Keep Loving You,” a lyric-focused tune with flute and piano gliding above the main melody.
The vocals dug deep before soaring with power, saying, “Hold me close, even through the darkness.”
Throughout the set, Joy stepped aside to let each instrumentalist shine, nodding her head in appreciation with individual parts and reintroducing each band member and their arrangements.
Joy paid tribute to Billie Holiday with “Left Alone,” and after whistles and shouts for an encore, Joy returned to the stage, laughing.
“Okay, just one more — I don’t wanna conjure the rain or anything,” she joked.
Joy finished with her rendition of the bossa-feel standard “No More Blues,” with playful, impressive runs and scatting, promising the audience, “No more blues, I’m going back home, I promise, no more trombone.”
“It was a perfect evening, with a wonderful, receptive audience,” she added in a post-encore interview with the Charlatan.
The rest of the evening held delights for Joy’s band and the local jazz scene alike. Drummer Evan Sherman proposed to his now-fiancé after the show, and Joy graced Jazzfest’s late night jam at the Lord Elgin Hotel.
Featured image by Nisse Anonby/the Charlatan
