Vincent Herring - Hard Times (2017)

Vincent Herring doesn’t have the answers to those issues any more than the rest of us. What he can offer is a tonic to help calm the turbulence of modern life, at least for an hour. With Hard Times, the master saxophonist supplies the perfect musical response to our troubled existence – part escape, part defiance; part lament, part laughter. Over the course of these 11 songs, Herring and his stellar band both sing the blues and shake them off in ways both healing and infectious.

Personnel: Vincent Herring, alto & soprano saxophones; Cyrus Chestnut, piano & Fender Rhodes; Yasushi Nakamura, bass; Carl Allen, drums. With Special Guests: Nicolas Bearde, vocals; Russell Malone, guitar; Steve Turre, trombone; Brad Mason, trumpet; Sam Dillon, tenor saxophone