Samara Joy and her Septet LIVE! at STNJ

by Spotlight Central, Photos by Love Imagery

originally published: 10/13/2026

Music lovers prepare to take a stairway to the stars this Sunday, October 4, 2026 evening at New Brunswick’s State Theatre New Jersey as they ready themselves for a high-flying vocal performance by jazz phenom Samara Joy and her Septet.

Joy, 26, was born in the Bronx into a musical family; her grandfather performed with the Philadelphia gospel group, The Savettes, and her dad sang and played bass for gospel artist Andraé Crouch.

While still in college, Joy recorded her eponymous debut album, Samara Joy, and was subsequently named Best New Artist by Jazz Times. Based on the success of a series of viral TikTok videos, Joy toured the U.S. and Europe playing sold-out shows at venues and festivals including Newport Jazz, Monterey Jazz, London’s Barbican Center, and France’s Nice Jazz Festival.

Over the past few years, Joy has been nominated for seven Grammy awards and has won six. In 2023, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and in 2023, 2025, and 2026, she won awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Linger Awhile, A Joyful Holiday, and Portrait. Her latest effort, Live at the Blue Note, L.A., will be released on October 23, 2026.

Inside the historic STNJ auditorium, lights dim and musicians Caelan Cardello on piano, Marty Jaffe on bass, Evan Sherman on drums, Eli Feingold on trombone, Jason Charos on trumpet, David Mason on alto sax, and Kendrick McCallister on tenor sax take their places on stage and open tonight’s show with a fanfare of Art Blakey’s swinging hard bop instrumental, “Summit.”

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The crowd cheers as Samara Joy enters and begins to sing in her rich, warm alto voice, “Once my heart was yours forever/Love so sure it seemed that it would never end,” on the slow introduction to Billy Strayhorn’s “Upper Manhattan Medical Group (U.M.M.G).”

The tempo increases and the Septet deftly backs Joy as she demonstrates her vocal range on this upbeat swing composition before Jason Charos plays a bebop trumpet solo and Joy scat sings in full voice on the coda to avid cheers and applause.

Joy welcomes the crowd stating, “Thank you, Jersey, how are you doing this evening? We have a lot of music to share with you!” prior to launching into an English language version of “Minha Saudade.” After Kendrick McCallister renders a smooth tenor solo, Joy sings, “New Jersey, you’ll forever have my heart!” before vocally improvising high into the stratosphere on this jazzy samba.

Following a slow recitative intro, Joy sings up and down the scale on “Stairway to the Stars,” her voice sliding and gliding before Caelan Cardello, Marty Jaffe, and Evan Sherman are featured on piano, bass, and drums on this gentle swing ballad.

Joy announces, “We would like to do a ballad medley for you,” as Jaffe’s solo stand-up bass accompanies Joy’s rich, low alto on “My Ship” where she casts her spell crooning, “My ship has sails that are made of silk/The decks are trimmed with gold,” prior to piano and drums joining in. Then, the full septet accompanies Joy on the swinging Duke Ellington ballad, “I Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” where Samara cries, “Like a lonely weeping willow lost in the wood/The things I tell my pillow no woman should,” and the band increases in volume as she vocalizes with power and style, inspiring a standing ovation.

Responding to the STNJ crowd, “Thank you so much — we gotta cross the bridge to New Jersey more often!” Joy and the ensemble step into “Flor De Lis” where Joy echoes Flora Purim as she sings in Portuguese and English on this rhythmic Brazilian samba.

Following up with a piece which Duke Ellington composed after meeting the Queen of England, Joy’s voice glimmers as she sings in French on “Le Sucrier Velours,” a complex extended Ellington composition with a Latin touch.

The crowd whistles and cheers and Joy vocalizes, “It’s the little things that mean so much/Just a smile, a loving word and such,” on a driving rendition of Teddy Wilson’s “The Little Things That Mean So Much.” McCallister plays a bebop tenor solo accompanied by Sherman’s crashing drums before Joy’s voice soars on the coda.

Continuing with “Lush Life,” Joy channels Sarah Vaughn’s deep, full sound as she croons, “Life is lonely again/And only last year/Everything seemed so sure,” on this moody Ellington ballad which elicits hoots, hollers, cheers, and applause.

“Can we do one more?” asks Joy as she floats into “Nica’s Dream” where, following trumpet, alto, bass, and drum solos, Samara’s wailing vocal is accompanied by the full septet on this brassy Horace Silver hard bop composition.

The crowd stands and cheers and Joy and the band exit the stage before returning for a final encore where Joy excites the crowd crying, “I got those New Brunswick blues!” Music lovers snap their fingers and clap to the beat of this impromtu blues number before Joy pops a stellar high note, music lovers stand and cheer, and Samara blows a kiss prior to exiting the stage.

As concertgoers make their way out of the auditorium, several comment on Samara Joy’s performance this evening. Declares Diane from North Brunswick, “Samara was excellent tonight! This was my first time seeing her and I was very impressed; she exceeded my expectations!” Insists Kima from New Brunswick, “Samara Joy’s show was amazing! For such a young singer, she has such a mature and powerful voice. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing her again!”

June from The Bronx exclaims, “Samara was absolutely awesome tonight! She turned it out — she channelled Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, and everyone in between! Tonight was my first Samara Joy concert. I’ve always wanted to see her because we’re both from The Bronx — she’s a neighborhood kid who comes from a multi-talented family and she did her thing tonight!”

Veronica from Westfield recalls, “I’ve seen Samara seven times! The first time I saw her, she came out afterwards to talk to the crowd and not only is she talented, she’s also a very nice person. Every time I’ve seen her she’s been exceptional, but tonight is the first time I’ve heard her sing the blues which got me thinking, ‘Wow, I want a whole new blues album now!’”

Isabella, a high school senior from Highland Park, contends, “I love Samara Joy! She’s one of my favorite artists and she’s really inspired me over the past couple of years as I pursue a career in music. She’s an incredible musician with outstanding technique and what she does is really hard to do.” Her dad, Joe, concurs, adding, “I love Samara Joy. I love her versatility, her power, and her dynamism — she’s got it all!”

Lastly, Bruce from Parsippany concludes, “Every generation needs an Ella Fitzgerald, a Sarah Vaughn, or a Betty Carter, and for this generation it’s Samara Joy. Her talent, her command of the stage, and her presence make her a complete and total Joy.”

To learn more about Samara Joy, please go to samarajoy.com. For information on great upcoming performances at STNJ — including The Sixties Show on October 22, The Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 23, and Forever Motown Christmas on December 6 — please click on stnj.org.