Joy Guidry (@joe_wey) is a Houston Texas-bred, California-based bassoonist, composer, and producer. Not too long ago, Joy released a rural jazz single, “Members Don’t Get Weary,” via Whited Sepulchre Records.
Joy Guidry – “Members Don’t Get Weary” single
“Members Don’t Get Weary” is a loving tribute to Max Roach whose centennial birthday the track celebrates. The song is firmly rooted in the gospel soil of that track while incorporating the vocal contributions of Jillian Grace and Ekep Nkwelle and the guided/spirited playing of Guidry on bassoon and contributions by Morgan Guerin, Tyrone Allen, Kalia Vandever, Jon Thomas, and Jessie Cox.
“Members Don’t Get Weary” is the first single from Guidry’s upcoming LP, “AMEN,” available on the 5th of May 2024. The project represents a major step forward in Guidry’s career in pretty much every way possible.
Joy Guidry – “AMEN” album
“In ‘AMEN’ there is a lot of experimentation with different forms of Black American music. I wanted to lean heavily on my Texas, Louisiana, and Creole roots in this project. There were many days spent with my ancestors during the writing of this album and I’m eternally grateful for the music they sang to me during our time together. I’m excited for y’all to hear this project that experiments with gospel, jazz, ambient, and the blues on May 10th. Until then I am happy to share ‘Members Don’t Get Weary’ with y’all.” – Joy Guidry stated
Love is a verb. It is an action taken, one that must be renewed within the self. It is a process of learning, evolution, and the very nature of what it means to nurture ourselves and others, and few artists know this as intimately as Joy Guidry. The fruits of Guidry’s efforts can be heard throughout “Amen.”
“I hear other artists say, ‘I put my life and soul into this.’ And I could never relate because I have never been in an emotional place where I can just let go and not be afraid of vulnerability,” Guidry said. “But now, I’ve finally made a project that resonates with me so deeply from beginning to end. I’m so happy where I am in life, and ‘Amen’ truly represents that there was no bullsh*t as I went into this.”
Guidry first found music through the church. Growing up, if R&B was for cleaning on Saturdays, then gospel, says Guidry, was the standard for Sundays. After years of performing other people’s music, Guidry began making her own. Focused and intentional, Guidry is a visionary with a keen understanding of how different genres of music can speak to and meld into one another mimicking the intricacies and interwoven elements of life. Guidry’s releases include commissioned works as well as the debut full-length “Radical Acceptance” released in 2022.
Joy Guidry – “Radical Acceptance” album
Recognizing her trans identity and embracing the need to make difficult decisions with the people in her life brought forth the heart of “Radical Acceptance.”
“There’s nothing wrong with us. There’s nothing wrong with any of us, when we look in the mirror, and we see something wrong, that was purely taught,” Guidry said. “I felt like I could never walk into my life. So after releasing ‘Radical Acceptance,’ it was time for me to truly practice radical acceptance and understanding and practicing radical self-love.”
“Amen” is the next step forward, one that calls on the power of community when embodying our true selves.
Joy Guidry
“I wanted to give a voice and give power and provide community to the people I love and truly care for on this record by tackling songs and challenging myself,” Guidry stated. “I knew I got the right people, the right community to drive it home, to take my ideas and really bring it together.”
Sometimes, we think of change as a settled process, one that marks a beginning, a middle, and an end. But Guidry knows the truth, one that requires each of us to keep digging and pushing ourselves beyond the limitations of our comfort zones. And “Amen” tells the story—in playful genre experimentations and heady ruminations of richly embodied instrumentation.
Joy Guidry
Other influences find a home in Guidry’s work, too. If Jazmine Sullivan were to make a bassoon record, it would be this. Piercing and purposeful, raw and real, Guidry’s past and present music permeates with intelligence and openness. Sonically, the meditative pulses of ambient music blended with elements of jazz and soul, forming something new and true.
But the most impactful moments were born within Guidry herself. Art manifests in all of life’s stages and circumstances, but the most powerful and piercing forms of art—of music—are a manifestation of the creator’s greatest truths. “How do you survive? How do I survive? How do my friends survive?” Guidry asked. “The writing process is kind of like therapy in a way. And I really feel like a different person now.”
Joy Guidry – “Members Don’t Get Weary” single
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