22-year-old jazz sensation and winner of two 2023 Grammy® Awards (including Best New Artist) Samara Joy makes her Kansas City debut on the Folly Theater stage this fall! You won’t want to miss this once-in-a-generation vocalist who rivals Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday with her voice “as rich as custard” (The New York Times).
Though she’s young, she relishes the process of digging through the music’s history and learning new standards. “I think maybe people connect with the fact that I’m not faking it, that I already feel embedded in it,” Samara says. “Maybe I’m able to reach people in person and on social media because it’s real.”
The gatekeepers of the jazz world tend to agree. In 2019, she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and she’s since performed with legends like Christian McBride and Bill Charlap. Legendary late pianist Barry Harris was a particularly important influence and mentor. “You inspired me as well as many others with this fire for teaching and playing that couldn’t be dimmed by anything or anyone,” Samara writes in the liner notes for “Linger Awhile,” her sophomore album and winner of her second Grammy® for Best Jazz Vocal Album. She dedicated the project in part to Harris’ memory.
Subscribe to the Folly mailing list to be notified of a special PRE-SALE opportunity to hear this rising superstar on October 14, 8 PM.
Coming Next to the Folly-Bridge Americana Series
Booker T. Jones is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, and arguably the most famous Hammond B3 player in history.
As leader of the legendary Booker T and the MGs, this pillar of soul music collaborated with Otis Redding, Albert King, and more during his tenure at Stax Records. Since then, Booker has lent his trademark keyboard chops to and produced classic albums such as Willie Nelson’s multi-platinum hit “Stardust” and Bill Withers’ “Just As I Am” featuring the hit song “Ain’t No Sunshine”.
Don’t miss your chance to hear this GRAMMY winner live on Friday, April 21, 8 PM, at Kansas City’s historic Folly Theater. Tickets and more information are available HERE or by calling the box office: 816-474-4444.