Original image by There Stands the Glass.
A pastor implored me to write about the glorious experience when he spotted me at the conclusion of Samara Joy’s concert at the Folly Theater on Saturday, November 22. Funny he should ask.
“Come Sunday,” the first selection of Joy’s performance, begins with the plea “God above, please look down and see my people through.” I might have fallen to my knees in a posture of grateful prayer had my seat in the upper balcony allowed room for the gesture.
Hearing Duke Ellington’s powerful hymn rendered by Joy’s magnificent instrument was a manifestly religious experience. Even the most contemptuous disbeliever amid the giddy audience of 1,000 must have sensed a divine presence.
I paid $30 for my uncomfortable perch. The face value of good tickets was $156, considerably more than the $60 I spent on a front row seat for Joy’s Kansas City debut in 2023. As one of the best vocalists alive, Joy deserves her success.
Joy’s band occasionally impedes on her God-given talent. Like a condensed version of Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the septet can be fusty. An extended Albert Ayler-esque duet featuring tenor saxophonist Kendric MacAllister and drummer Evan Sherman was a welcome exception.
The elevated exhibition of spiritual jazz further confirmed the concert’s sacrosanct tone. Even Joy’s approach to secular standards like “Lush Life” and “‘Round Midnight” were imbued with devotional intent that blessed listeners with heavenly grace.