Welcome back to Crate Digging, our recurring feature that takes a deep dive into music history to turn up several albums all music fans should know. In this edition, Grammy-winning vocalist Samara Joy gives us the perfect autumn jazz itinerary.
“Winning one Grammy wasn’t on my bingo card for my life, and winning three was completely unexpected,” says Samara Joy, who took home the trophy for Best New Artist in 2023 before scooping up two more accolades at the 2024 ceremony. In the aftermath of what she calls “Grammy hoopla,” her new album organically began to take shape. That third LP, Portrait, arrives tomorrow, October 11th.
“I took my time in figuring out what to do next and not trying to rush to chase any sort of relevance or momentum,” she tells Consequence over Zoom, speaking from her apartment in Harlem. “I wanted to focus on the music and offer something of substance and be an artist of substance, and that only comes from putting time into what you love.”
And for Samara Joy, that thing she loves is jazz. While she comes from a musical family and was raised hearing classics, she didn’t fully fall into the genre until her first year of college. Something shifted when she began to spend more time with the likes of Sarah Vaughan, whose music she mentions as one of her essential picks that also specifically informed the making of Portrait.
Listen to “Autumn Nocturne” from Portrait below, and read on for the 10 albums Joy selected as the backdrop for the perfect fall day.
Esperanza Spalding — Radio Music Society
I feel like this album might have been my introduction to jazz without me even knowing it because I can remember, very vividly, singing along when I was in middle school or the beginning of high school. My dad would put on this record all the time, and now that I’m listening to it, as an adult, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this is such a beautiful representation of Esperanza’s take on jazz, on her own original music, on her roots in classical.” But when I was growing up, it really was just, “Oh my gosh, I love her voice,” and that remains true to this day.
João Gilbert — Amoroso
This is kind of different; it’s more on the bossa nova Brazilian side of things, but I love the combination of João Gilberto’s voice — how sensitive it is — combined with these beautiful orchestrations by by Claus Ogerman. It’s not only standards, but bossa nova music. I feel like it’s a perfect combination for you to enjoy fall in the best possible way.