Lizz Wright & Kenny Banks Sr – Nearness
Today, jazz vocalist and songwriter Lizz Wright, together with acclaimed pianist Kenny Banks Sr., announce the forthcoming release of their duo album, Nearness, and release the first single, “Soon I Will Be Done.” Set for release on September 25, 2026, on Blues & Greens Records and Candid Records, the 11-track LP of standards and spirituals serves as an intimate showcase of each artist’s talent, as well as their creative connection.
The new single, “Soon I Will Be Done,” is Wright’s take on the landmark spiritual. Speaking on her fresh and courageous interpretation, Wright says, “it feels like taking old tools out of a museum and running them along a grinder and getting them sharp again and shiny. If I do my part in taking them out of historical reference mode, I really can bring something new to them.”
Expanding on “Soon I Will Be Done,” Wright reveals, “I have heard this song since I was a child and I used to think that it was about death. Now I hear it, and it makes me want to dig deeper to unearth all of my strength and figure out what it means for me to live in as much fullness, love and power as I can. To “live with God, to go home,” could really mean to live in love and remember who I am.”
Produced by longtime musical director and esteemed guitarist Chris Bruce, Nearness reveals deep kinship and trust in the forms of Banks’ signature arrangements, which serve as an architectural frame for Wright’s profound delivery.
The trusted collaborators met decades ago at a jam session in Atlanta and quickly bonded on the strength of their shared background in the church and interests in swinging jazz, R&B, and other music. Recalling his first impressions of Wright, Banks says, “You know when you hear people say, ‘You’ve got that thing’? She always had that thing. She’s just got a presence that commands your attention.”
They have since worked together on releases Banks is central to Wright’s catalogue as he appears on other releases, including Salt (Verve, 2003), and acclaimed records such as Dreaming Wide Awake (Universal Music Group, 2005), The Orchard (Universal Music Group, 2008), Fellowship (Universal Music Group, 2010), Freedom & Surrender (Concord, 2016), Grace (Concord, 2017), and Shadow (Blues & Greens Records, 2024).
TOUR DATES
June 29, 2026 – Festival International De Jazz De Montreal 2026 – Montreal, QC, Canada^
July 1, 2026 – Grote Kerk – Harderwijk, Netherlands^
July 2, 2026 – Warsaw Summer Jazz Days – Kochlowy, Poland*
July 4, 2026 – Festival de Jazz de Valencia – Valencia, Spain*
July 5, 2026 – Sala Prat del Roure – Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra*
July 7, 2026 – San Javier Jazz Festival – San Javier, Spain*
July 9, 2026 – Openluchttheater Caprera – Bloemendaal, Netherlands*
July 11, 2026 – ELBJAZZ – Hamburg, Germany*
October 21, 2026 – Kulturetage – Oldenburg, Germany*
October 22, 2026 – Stadschouwburg – Sint-Niklaas, Belgium*
October 24, 2026 – De Doelen – Rotterdam, Netherlands*
October 25, 2026 – De Oosterpoort – Groningen, Netherlands*
October 26, 2026 – Muffathalle – Munich, Germany*
October 28, 2026 – Centralstation – Darmstadt, Germany*
October 29, 2026 – Enjoy Jazz Festival – Heidelberg, Germany*
October 30, 2026 – Teatro Albéniz Madrid – Madrid, Spain*
November 1, 2026 – Stadthalle Koln-Mulheim Julich – Cologne, Germany*
November 3, 2026 – Kammermusiksaal – Berlin, Germany*
November 4, 2026 – Enter Music Festival – Poznan, Poland*
November 5, 2026 – Wojciech Kilar Polish Philharmonic “Sinfonia Baltica” – Slupsk, Poland*
November 7, 2026 – Cosmopolite Scene – Oslo, Norway*
November 13, 2026 – Jazz Voice Gala 2026 – Royal Festival Hall – London United Kingdom^
November 14, 2026 – Saffron Hall – Walden, United Kingdom^
November 15, 2026 – Cadogan Hall – London, UK^
April 22, 2027 – De Singel – Antwerpen, Belgium^
April 27, 2027 – Martinskirche – Basel, Switzerland^
May 7, 2027 – Sheldon Concert Hall – St. Louis, MO*
^duo show with Kenny Banks Sr.
*full band show
#lizzwrightmusic #bankssr.kenny