ASC Presents Samara Joy

Fresh off a meteoric rise and multiple Grammy wins, jazz sensation Samara Joy returns to the Alys Stephens Center for a truly special night in our 30th Anniversary season. When we asked audiences who they most wanted to see again, Samara Joy was right at the top, and it’s easy to hear why. With her rich, velvety voice and timeless interpretations of jazz standards, she brings a fresh energy to the Great American Songbook while honoring its legacy. Join us for a celebratory evening with one of today’s most captivating voices, back by popular demand and ready to light up the stage once again.

Come early and hear the incredible sounds of UAB’s own Jazz Ensemble.

A native of the Bronx, Joy became entranced by classic R&B as a child and cut her teeth as a singer in her church’s gospel choir. And while her family history is deeply musical—her grandparents helmed the Philadelphia gospel group the Savettes, and her father, the musician and songwriter Antonio McLendon, has produced, composed, and arranged his own astounding original work—she didn’t delve into the jazz tradition until college at SUNY Purchase. During her studies there, she won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, which introduced her to the larger jazz scene as an emerging star to watch. She was heard, by audiences and critics alike, as a masterful interpreter of jazz standards and a rightful heiress of the sound, technique, and charisma that defined her jazz heroines—including Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, and Carmen McRae. Joy released her self-titled debut on the Whirlwind label in 2021, followed a year later by Linger Awhile, her breakout Verve debut, of which DownBeat said, “With this beautiful recording, a silky-voiced star is born.” The album earned her a Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album in addition to a headline-making win for Best New Artist. A deluxe edition of the album was released, as well as the EPA Joyful Holiday, which took home Grammys for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best Jazz Performance in 2025. Her latest Verve album, Portrait, which Joy co-produced with the veteran trumpeter/bandleader and multi-Grammy winner Brian Lynch, showcases the intimate, soulful chemistry she’s developed with her touring band, earning her an NAACP Image Award in 2025 for Outstanding Jazz Album and the Grammy for Best Vocal Jazz Album in 2026. Portrait also spotlights her burgeoning gifts as a lyricist in ingenious arrangements that meld her thoughtful words with music by Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, and her late mentor, Barry Harris.