Cool, breezy jazz and calypso

And those who did not know the name then, would certainly be aware of it now. Prior to her performance at the April 26 TJE at Piegon Point, Tobago, Samar made the media rounds, acclimatising the TT audience with her sound.

Her first performance in front of the Tobago Jazz crowd was a great experience for the singer whose Cool, Breezy Jazz compilation is set to be out soon.

Samar’s fascination with music began early. Samar is a creator.

Creating, is what drove her into a career in engineering, working for companies such as L’Oreal. And while many might find Samar’s love for music and engineering to be discordant elements, for her they are all part of the wider scale of creation.

She said, “They might appear to be polar opposites. I always knew that I loved math and science and I loved music. I love creation and innovation.”

Both share equal spaces in Samar’s life. Even though she was born in United States, the 38-year-old singer grew up among the music of her culture. The daughter of Tobagonian calypsonian, Danny Boy, who later migrated to the US, Samar was always exposed to music and more importantly calypso music.

She recalled, in an interview with Newsday, coming to TT for a visit in 1987 and hearing calypsonian (deceased) Duke’s “Thunder” at her aunt’s wedding and how that impacted upon her consciousness. She said the song was one that stuck with her because it was, “so great.” The memories from that wedding stuck with her for her lifetime.

“In our house we grew up with calypso all the time,” she said explaining that while her genre is jazz and blues it is also infused with the music that she grew up knowing all her life.

The impact that TT has had on her life is evident. In her song, the “Soul of Calypso”, jazz and kaiso form an intricate blend, which vividly rings through to the many experiences she has had while in TT.

Among the images colouring her songs were eating five finger fruit and running from dogs.

While she gives equal weight to her engineer side, now running her own business, she is also focusing on building her music, high on her music bucket list would be working with renowned musician Quincy Jones. “He has such an innate understanding of jazz, and it is rooted in blues,” she said.

High also on her priority list would be to gain further notoriety for music.

Jazz, for Samar, has always been the best way for her to express herself musically. For her, jazz and calypso are closely entwined because they both tell such vivid stories.

“I live jazz and calypso because it is a way to tell a story in no other way,” she said sagaciously.

That is what her latest compilation cool, breezy jazz would do. She hopes to return to TT to launch the compilation. Her final compilation which would have eight tracks, she hopes, would be released by July 1 this year.

But for Samar there is hope to add a new twist to calypso through a jazz infusion being done, she said, by many Caribbean artistes such as Etienne Charles. She said, “For those of us that have those roots (jazz) I see it opening many doors for calypso.”

For Samar, her performance at this year’s TJE “was amazing. The Tobago Jazz audience they are coming to listen relax and enjoy good music and from the very first song, I saw people just mouthing the words ‘just to the two of us’. It was really, really great. And for the original songs that were done, they picked up right away on it.”

Samar also got rave reviews . “I enjoyed her performance. I liked the way she gave background. I understood where she came from. I would like to see her in an atmosphere like a club with a glass of wine...a more intimate setting,” said Ingrid Lashley.

Barbara Lodge-Johnson of Chaguanas who came across for the jazz said, “She was fantastic. She epitomised the Trini who never forgot where her roots were. Her performance was amazing and I wish she would return to us.”

Similarly, Hayden Walcott, who wished not to specify where he resided except to say he was from Trinidad, said, “She was excellent. I loved her second song (The Slave of Blues).”